4,000 Steps
Word From Wiese
6 September 2023
There’s good news from the exercise world!
10,000 steps. For years, it seems that we’ve heard we need to walk 10,000 steps each day to foster good health. My wife LuAnne wears an Apple watch which features 3 rings that can close and then congratulate the watch-wearer upon moving, exercising, and standing enough each day. As a teacher moving around the classroom all day, LuAnne usually hits her marks pretty easily.
But if I have a long day of sitting for Zoom meetings or writing sermons or reports, I often feel bummed knowing that I fall well short of the 10k-step recommendation. Well, lo and behold the recent research published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology! The authors found that taking just 4,000 steps per day (the equivalent of walking around two miles) is enough to significantly reduce one’s risk of premature death. Indeed, walking only 2,500 steps may significantly reduce one’s risk of heart disease.
What an antidote such findings are to my periodic sense of defeatism! On very busy days, sure, I might fail to hit the 10k mark. But that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t strive for at least the 4k step threshold. Every step counts, right?
I wonder if this medical good news can be translated to motivation for our spiritual lives.
For instance, maybe my schedule precludes me from reaching out to encourage three folks per week; however, making sure I write that note or give that call to at least one person still makes an impact. Maybe with the changing world, I can’t make it to Sunday morning worship most Sundays anymore; but with determination I can proactively schedule 50% of my Sundays for the health and joy that comes with worshiping with Christ’s community. Maybe I can’t fit into my schedule participation in a book club, bible study or small group as I’d really like; but dedicating 10 minutes each day to read a devotional will still make an important impact in my relationship with God and my well-being.
What do you think? Physically, I agree that a full 10,000 steps of hiking, pickleball, or walking will serve my body well. But if I fall short of this benchmark, it would be silly to sit on the couch and pout. And so too, spiritually, if I’m not living the life of discipleship with Jesus I’d really like to, how do I not give up in despair, but allow the Holy Spirit to help me take the steps I can manage on Jesus’ pathway in hope and gratitude?
Questions for reflection:
- What’s one important aspect of your life in which you’d like to do more, but are grateful for what you have? Is there anything you could change to help you move toward your goal?
- Do you ever get frustrated with not having 100% of something that forego even 50%? Why?
- The 3 rings of an Apple Watch monitor exercise, movement, and standing. If you were wearing a Discipleship Watch, what 3 activities would you like it to record?
Let us pray.
Dear Lord, thanks for all the ways we are healthy in your design. Thanks for activities and relationships you give us that foster continued good health. In our busy lives, guide our decision-making to make wise commitments that foster our own health and that of the communities you give us to steward. Guard and guide our attitudes as we engage. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
