Fit Bit Fit

     If someone were to ask me to prove that Americans are health obsessed, with apologies to those who wear them, my answer would be "Fit Bit". The fact that people who are not in compromised health feel the need to continually track their activities, heart rate, calories burned, sleep, etc. seems to indicate one of Americans' main goals in life is to make that life longer and healthier. While there is nothing sinful in those desires, Christians seem to be have lost sight of the temporary nature of human life. Our time on this earth is limited. Fit Bit and kale notwithstanding, the Bible says our lifespan is appointed by God before we are even born Ps. 139:16 "Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." And when Jesus said in Mt. 6:27  "Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?" (NIV), it was not because Fit Bit hadn't been invented yet.
     Just as Christians are called to be good stewards of the planet God provided for us, we should also be good stewards of our bodies, especially as it relates to sin, as in sexual sins, gluttony and laziness. But God has not promised us long, healthy years on Earth, that promise is for heaven. The persecution and martyrdom of Old Testament prophets and New Testament disciples illustrates God's servants are not in it for the health plan.
     A friend of mine recently broke her wrist hiking. From her Facebook posts, hiking is the passion of her retirement years. But it seems to me that it uses a lot of time and energy for little spiritual benefit. Admittedly, walking is not my thing. After I have walked for a while, my ADD knee forgets what it is supposed to be doing, and starts letting me down--literally. I tend to exercise and/or knit while watching TV in the evening so the time won't be totally wasted. Still I can't imagine that when I settle accounts with God over my use of time, that He will be impressed with how much effort I put into maintaining a body destined for dust. So I thank God every morning for my strong, healthy body, but I do not plan my day around it, and I certainly do not want to plan my life around it. Not when I could be wasting time writing rants like this. Fit Bit, for me, is just not a good fit.