VISUALIZE YOUR IDEAL SELF

For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.

1 Timothy 4:8 (NIV)

                Everyone knows that it is a good thing to exercise regularly. The problem often is motivation. We are too tired, too busy, too stressed to exercise. Usually these are just excuses for not strapping on our running shoes and hitting the trail.

                When I run, my motivation has been to prepare for some upcoming race. I want to be ready and do my best, so I run. Recently, because of a change in circumstances, all of my regular running events have become unavailable to me. I have continued to run, but my motivation has been low, so my running has been more sporadic.

                Something has happened though to rekindle my motivation to exercise. I bought a Wii Fit system. Wii Fit offers four varieties of exercise to give you a well-rounded program. They are stretching exercises, strength exercises, aerobic exercises, and balance exercises. Variety is always a positive way to maintain an exercise program. But, the real key to keeping me motivated is that the system monitors and keeps track of my progress, and holds me accountable. I know that it is just an inanimate computer program, but I really hate it when it says, “I haven’t seen you for four days.” I am a “score keeper” and so having the system keep track of my progress really motivates me to keep going.

                The program is set up so that you are led through the exercises by a personal trainer. The trainer shows you the proper way to do the exercise and then does it along with you. While you are doing the exercise, he gives you words of encouragement. To be honest, after a while the words of encouragement get a little repetitive and I tend to tune them out. There is one phrase that is repeated quite often that has stuck in my mind. “Visualize your ideal body.”

                I have been reading a couple of leadership books, and both of them used similar language to talk about facing the future. In one book, that talks about making good decisions, the authors talk about visualizing the potential positive and negative outcomes of the decision to help you make the best choice. In the other book, that talks about leadership, the author talks about visualizing your preferred future and then aligning your vision to that end.

                There is an important lesson that we can learn from this idea of visualizing our ideal future. We most often pay far more attention to developing our physical body, or our business endeavors, than we do our spiritual development. I want to suggest that we should give far more attention to visualizing our spiritual self.

                As with any journey, there are three important questions we need to ask to guide us toward our preferred future. Where do I want to go? Where am I now? How do I get from here to there? The theological term for this process is sanctification.

                Where do I want to go? The Bible is fairly clear about the goal of our spiritual journey. In a nutshell, God wants us to be whole and holy people. He wants us to be in a personal relationship with Him, set apart from the world system. He wants us to be free from sin, with all the aspects of our life in perfect balance.

                The Bible gives us numerous images of the ideal spiritual self.

- Our ideal motivation: He answered: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" Luke 10:27 (NIV)

- Our ideal character: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV)

- Our ideal state of being: But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy." 1 Peter 1:15-16 (NIV)

                Where am I now? We realize that our day-to-day life doesn’t match up with our ideal self. We are sinners saved by grace, and we still struggle with sin. Most of us can identify with Paul’s words in Romans 7.  We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. Romans 7:14-20 (NIV) Being realistic about our current struggles is the first step toward our ideal self.

                The Bible gives us a handle on who we are right now.

- We are sinners saved by grace: For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV)
- We are children of God through faith in Jesus Christ: How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 1 John 3:1 (NIV)

- We continue to struggle with sin: If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:8-9 (NIV)

- We are engaged in a spiritual battle: For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Ephesians 6:12 (NIV)

                How do I get from here to there? No one makes a successful journey without plotting a course. If I want to train my body, I establish an exercise program. If I want to grow my business, I develop a business strategy. If I want to grow spiritually, I need to develop a growth plan.

                The Bible gives us insight into how we can move from our current condition to our ideal self.

- Adjust your internal dialog: Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. Philippians 4:8 (NIV)

- Adjust your attitude: Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:4-7 (NIV)
- Practice spiritual disciplines: Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me--put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:9 (NIV)
- Develop your spiritual gifts: Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. 1 Peter 4:10 (NIV)
- Keep your eyes on the goal: Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:12-14 (NIV)

                One thing that is always true about our vision for the future is that it fades with time. Unless we keep renewing our vision, we will lose sight of the goal. Every time I step onto Wii it tells me how far I need to go to reach my goal. We all need to be reminded that we can never coast on our spiritual journey. If we are not moving forward, we are probably moving backward. We need to regularly visualize our ideal self and then strive with all our heart to move in that direction.