The Ditches on Both Sides

There are two ditches on either side of the road when it comes to the body. One is neglect: never moving, never resting well, treating the body as unimportant. The other is obsession: always chasing the next number, the next look, the next personal best, whatever it costs.

Paul warns against the second ditch in his own way. “Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.” Moderation means knowing when enough is enough.

He also uses athletes as an example of discipline: “every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.” Training is good. But the crown it wins doesn’t last.

One helpful habit is to decide what healthy looks like for you, enough to be present and able for the people who count on you, and then stop chasing past it at the cost of your family or time with God. Stay on the road.