The United States is in the middle of it’s most recent love affair with health and fitness. Everywhere we turn there is another protein shake or fitness DVD promising to give us the quick results we desire. Very often, we quickly discover that none of them ever work the way we thought they would. Twenty years ago, the majority of Americans had tons of gym equipment in their basement that they never used. We’ve grown up a bit since then. Now we’re all a part of gyms we never go to.

Fault us if you will, but at least our country is trying. At least we’re making an intentional, conscious effort, and some folks have even seen some pretty decent results.

The same cannot be said, however, for our intellectual and spiritual diet. Americans spend very little time thinking critically about the types of films we watch, television we stream, literature we read, and websites we surf. 

I’m not saying that there is no room for “junk food”, but if I exclusively ate Hostess Cupcakes, you wouldn’t expect me to have a very healthy body. So why do we think we can watch nothing but “Keeping Up With The Kardashians” or “The People’s Court”, and still do our best intellectual and creative work?

If I human being is truly mind, body, and spirit, why are so many of us neglecting the health of two thirds of that being?

Perhaps it is time to become just as intentional in our mental and spiritual diet as we are in our physical diet.