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Heart Rate Monitor
by John Bishop, Director of Spiritual Formation
I got frustrated the other day after realizing that I’d forgotten to turn on Strava before the three-mile walk I’d just finished. I said out loud in frustration, “I don’t get credit if it’s not tracked!” The people I was with laughed at me, rightfully so.
On the other hand, I find that tracking metrics like distance, speed, or reps is an essential part of building and maintaining an effective fitness plan. And when I look back on my week, it helps me to stay more consistent if I’ve tracked what I’ve done. For me, I don’t know if I’m pushing myself to an appropriate stress level if I don’t know how far, how fast, or how many I did last time.
A few years ago, I was training for a big race and picked up a book I thought might be helpful called The Triathletes Training Bible, By Joe Friel. You’ll need to read the book to get accurate technical details, but here’s one of the things I took away from it: to build endurance you need to maintain peak exertion over a set distance largely independent of time. And central to all his biometrics is an accurate heart rate.
If you walk three miles and your heart rate never picks up, then you can say you had a nice stroll. You can celebrate that you were active, and perhaps the casual walk is significantly better than sitting in a desk chair with respect to overall health choices, so it is an unequivocal success! On the other hand, if you walk three miles today and your heart rate skyrockets – your Apple Watch, Fitbit, Garmin, Vital or whatever reads 125 bpm, that is an entirely different story! You are working hard, and your body is telling you through your heart rate that it is responding to accommodate the effort.
The actual Bible gives us similar advice about our spiritual fitness. Hebrews 12:1-3 says, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”
In fitness we get out of breath walking up the stairs because we have not exercised our physical hearts. In our Spiritual lives we get overcome with fatigue and lose heart because we have not walked with Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7 speaks straight to this tension as well, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, 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.”
There is a helpful parallel between caring for our bodies and caring for our souls, both require paying attention to crucial signs. Perhaps you’ve gotten to the top of a hill and bending over breathing hard have said, “Man, I’m out of shape!” Your heart’s telling you to move more. On the other hand, maybe you hadn’t made the connection yet that when you’re crippled with anxiety and worry, or overcome with anger, or fear, or lust that these are signs too; signs that you need to walk more with Jesus. Present your requests to Him, consider His sacrifice for you on the cross and strengthen your heart for the journey of faith.
If you’re going to work out, it might help to pay attention to your heart rate, it’s a helpful metric to let you know how you’re doing. And, as you continue walking with Jesus, keep tabs on the condition of your heart. The more you walk with Him the better conditioned you’ll be to face the stress of life. The goal is not to eliminate tensions (that’s not possible, really) but to build strength. So, grab a heart rate monitor and let’s go. #goalhearted
Westminster Christian School, located in Palmetto Bay, Florida, is a private, college-preparatory school for children from preschool through twelfth grade.