Whole Being Christianity - Understanding Your Abs (Spirit, Soul, and Body)

What are your abdominal muscles for? Are they created to give you great looks? Are they intended to attract the opposite sex? Are they most advantageous when they provide you with one aspect of your self-actualization? It is not the first, nor the second, and certainly not the third, unless your ab set is a critical factor in your relationship with Christ, who should be the epitome of your self-actualization. As Paul said, hopefully for all true believers, albeit paraphrased, I consider the actualization of my own interests to be rubbish, so that I may gain Christ, and, being found in Him, not having anything in me that would sever me from my high calling in Christ Jesus. (Parenthetical statement - this calling is not reserved for pastors, priests and elders - it applies to every believer.)

As I have mentioned in passing, or at least alluded to in several of my entries here at CHC, I believe that our very being is not purely physical, nor purely spiritual, and certainly not purely chemical or biological, with all that entails. I truly believe that every aspect of our being mirrors the work of God in all of creation. Every member of humanity is created in His image. Every Christian is being recreated in the image of Christ, the full embodiment of the One who created all of humanity in His – the Father’s – image. All of humanity is under the curse of sin, which has warped and poisoned every corner of creation, from the entire physical realm, to the core of each individual, and everywhere in between. Only in Christ, the One and only Son of God, can the curse be removed, and order restored to what God had originally designed. And this can only happen as we accept His atoning sacrifice, His redeeming gift, and His in-dwelling Spirit to guide, to teach, to correct, and to fashion us in His likeness. He is the fullness of life. He is the restoration of Eden’s perfection in creation. He is the Risen One, having tasted death for us who believe. He is the returning One, who will bring every aspect of His perfect will to reality. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

So, if we are created in His image and each and every body part represents an aspect of what God intends to do through His spiritual body on Earth – AKA the Universal Church – not the local church, with its rules and codes that divide the Body and conquer absolute truth as a result, what is the significance of our abdominal muscles, if any indeed exists?

Some enjoy numbers when it comes to anecdotal representations of theology. Twelve, seven, six and three seem to hold real significance for some. That is OK with me, since He set some of it up that way, but He doesn’t want us to go overboard, and miss the real important issues. Three sets of abdominal muscles, seven layers of skin, twelve steps to well-being, etc. are all fine and good.

However, what about the abs? What do they do within the body? Most of us wouldn’t even know that there are three sets, because they are either covered with a layer of fat that God never intended to be there, or because they have never been fully developed. Since the muscles are there, whether they have been our focal point or not, a significant question is this: If they are designed by our Creator for a purpose to bring about or maintain health and well being, why not maximize their worth?

There are three distinct muscle groups in every person’s abdominal wall. Their scientific names are: the transverse abdominus, the internal oblique and the external oblique.

“The external oblique functions to pull the chest downwards and compress the abdominal cavity, which increases the intra-abdominal pressure. It also has limited actions in both flexion and rotation of the vertebral column.” Although I am neither a physician nor an expert on this subject, I believe it would be safe to believe that a partial role of the external oblique is to help one breathe efficiently, and another is to assist with digestion, based on this information. It also would serve the purpose of helping one avoid overeating, since it would be painful to do so. Also, the role of the vertebral column must have a connection with the body acting as a unit, with messages being sent from other parts of the body. In other words, this part of your abdominal muscle system plays a role in every aspect of your physical well being.

In other words, a weak external oblique may have a connection to constipation, ulcerative colitis, exacerbation of asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, obesity, lethargy, depression, and more. On the flip side of the coin, these conditions may also cause a weakening of this muscle group.

To strengthen any section of your abdominal muscle group, you do not need to have any equipment, such as weights, treadmills, etc. All you need to do is breathe. Simply inhale deeply, and then slowly exhale all of the air you can out of your lungs, until you are gently blowing outward. Continue until you receive warning signs from some part of your body, but do not worry about blowing all of the air out of your lungs. This would be impossible to do. Do this simple exercise several times, and rest between reps. Each time, you will feel your abdominal muscles tighten, if you are doing it right.

The role of the transverse abdominal set is essential for the elimination of elements in the body that often contain toxins of different kinds. It is used during the expulsion of stool and vomit alike. This isn't pretty, but if beats staying sick with food poisoning and / or constipation. Your transverse abs also help some of you during childbirth, as these are actively involved. Weak abs can lead to more prolonged or increased pain during childbirth. And some believe that members of the gender that give birth are weaker than those who don't. I'm still at odds with that one, at least in this case. Lastly, interesting enough, the same set of muscles that enables you to go to the bathroom are the same muscles that enable you to hold it.

For soccer and American football fans, the illustration of how the obliques work together is similar to having two equally strong line backers or defenders on the team. If one LB is weak, he will be the target. Same for the defenders on the soccer team. If one is weak, the offense will go to his side of the field constantly. To put it from an expert at http://www.armchairgm.com/Linebacker, the following excerpt puts it more clearly:

[Roles of linebackers
As referenced above, linebackers must often be the most versatile players on the defensive team. While the linemen's sole job is to shoot the gap and break up the offense, and the defensive backs cover the receivers and stop pass plays, the linebackers must do both. For this reason, quality linebackers are highly sought-after players.]

Strong abs should be sought after even more. Want to age gracefully? Get strong abs. Desire to grow in your walk with God? Grow strong abs in the Spirit.