Avoid Spiritual dehydration

“A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah. You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.” Psalm 63:1 NIV

In an article published by Runner's World Friday, the notion that running regularly can cancel out the negative side effects of sitting too much was discussed and debunked. Research indicates that no matter how much you exercise, sitting for excessively long periods of time is a risk factor for early death. And it definitely inhibits your exercise performance—you can’t, for example, sit for eight hours at work and then get up and run five miles without it affecting your body. All that sitting results in tight leg muscles and other issues. “Sitting all day will make the front of your body tighten up—especially your hip flexors, rectus femoris (a quad muscle), pectoralis (chest), upper traps (upper back), and anterior scalenes (the front of your neck),” explains David Reavy, a Chicago-based orthopedic physical therapist at React Physical Therapy. “When these muscles tighten up, it creates musculoskeletal imbalances. For example, tight hip flexors can cause an anterior tilt, which shuts down your abdominals and your glutes. So if you run after prolonged sitting, then those big stabilizing muscles simply won’t work.” The takeaway from all this? Finding ways to get up and move more throughout the day would be of enormous benefit to everyone. But if that's simply not possible, a runner should make time to stretch and open up their tight muscles before setting out for a workout.  

And you know, sitting too much and other states of inactivity are not only detrimental to our physical health but to our mental and spiritual health as well. You see, spiritual idleness will keep us from fully pursuing the Lord in a way that keeps our minds and souls hydrated, joyful, full and refreshed. David clearly understood this and, in fact, knew that the pain and desperation of spiritual thirst needed to be quenched before his physical thirst. In a “dry and parched land” David earnestly sought his God above all else because his whole being longed for Him. David made seeking after God his first priority, something that should be our first priority as well if we are to avoid the countless negative side effects that come from spiritual dehydration. 

So make time for God each and every morning my friend. After all, hydrating properly for each day starts with a consistent morning routine. Actively search and pursue Him as a person searches for water in a dry and parched land and you'll not only keep yourself from being spiritually dehydrated but will have peace, vision and direction for the day. 

Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding us that spiritual inactivity has no place in a Christian’s life. It not only keeps us from fulfilling our mission to share the Gospel but keeps us from the close fellowship with You that our souls so desperately need. Cause us to seek You consistently and constantly so that we, like David, can know You in such a way that we can declare, "You, God, are my God." It’s in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!!!