Fitness versus Conditioning: a Spiritual Formation Primer, part 2

In part 1 of this series we appealed to the butterfly’s cocoon as analogous to our own chrysalis of spiritual formation. We cannot make ourselves different kinds of creatures, but He has given us the capacity to weave together the kind of environment in which that metamorphosis is likely to occur. Transformation happens to us; it is a mark of our ongoing salvation in Him. However, it always remains up to us to present our bodies to this work in diligence. And when it comes to bodies, there’s no better imagery than that of the athlete. We present our bodies to the spiritual disciplines in the same way that any athlete presents herself to her training.

First of all, I want to be clear about a few things. As we develop the following comparison between disciplines that are physical and spiritual, I do not actually regard them as disparate from one another. For my part, jiujitsu is a holistic spiritual discipline. The martial dimension is overtly physical, of course. But the brute who only practices the moves without ever developing the philosophy will remain in a perpetual plateau, stunted in his development. Furthermore, there are the manifold ways in which any reliable martial art tends to color the rest of one’s life. The imagination is both set on fire and put at ease by the skills one acquires. When I present my body to the mats, my teammates, my coaches, the discipline: that is an inherently spiritual act.

Secondly, our culture is rife with a slew of “Get Out of Jail Free” passes. The language of discipline and diligence over all is largely disregarded in our culture, and our bodies have borne the brunt of our neglect. Show me an ivory tower theologian who is brilliant in his studies but incapable of a single pull-up and I will show you a malformed soul. A significant part of his masculinity has become anemic.

To be very clear, our bodies were not made for reading books all day any more than they were made for watching cinema all day. We are continuum creatures all the way through and God has made us in such a way that toil is a significant part of our sanctification. Especially for men, the brunt of our curse is to eat our bread in the sweat of our brows. However, as Willard has said, we attempt rather to eat our bread in the sweat of somebody else’s brow. Once we have removed ourselves from the thorns and thistles of our labors we have abdicated our governorship because we have abandoned the responsibilities incumbent upon us. In other words - train to reign.

Now, please, do not confuse this with a Body by Instagram gospel of sorts. That being said, form follows the function and our purpose requires a robust regiment. Obesity kills. Medically we know this. But we have allowed ourselves to eat our cake and havoc, too.

When we present our bodies to the spiritual disciplines, that is like fitness for the soul. For instance, to memorize Scripture is to exercise. It requires repetition, or reps, if you will. Without consistency it will never amount to anything. The work is hardest right at the onset, until your whole person comes to a point where you will feel strange if you don’t engage it. The habit becomes us. Every spiritual discipline can be viewed through this lens of exercise-as-fitness.

This is where we come to the difference of conditioning. Fitness refers to capabilities whereas conditioning is a skill set. If a person is fit, that means they can run fast, jump high, move heavy things and/or kick really hard. If a person is well conditioned, they can perform all of those same tasks even when the scenario is beyond their control. Have you ever known the individual that was great in training but not so much on game day? They lacked the skill set to control their mindset. The capacity to focus and recover is a result of conditioning that has been developed through fitness, but they are not the same thing. Fitness can be reduced to measurements of isolated movements. Conditioning is a test of fitness applied under pressure. One can be fit without being conditioned, whereas there is no chance of being conditioned without fitness.

So it is in the spiritual life. To return to the ivory tower theologian, he has many remarkable points of fitness, to be sure. However, his conditioning is lacking, and I do not mean only in his body. If his body only carries him to the needs of the body but none of the disciplines of the body, and if bookish things are the only mark of diligence about him, his character has not been fully formed. He has designed his days around a lifestyle that he finds suitable to his temperament, which means that he is never subjected to any kind of rigors beyond his control.

This is why James tells us to “count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.” When we exercise our faith through the spiritual disciplines that’s fitness. The conditioning of our souls happens when our faith is tested. In the trials of life, we learn how to practice and implement the skill sets of focus, recovery and staying-power.

“Let patience have its perfect work, knowing that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”