Week 2: Building a Foundation

By Mario Negrete, Jr. 

 “Since the mind and the soul find expression through the body, both mental and spiritual vigor are in great degree dependent upon physical strength and activity; whatever promotes physical health, promotes the development of a strong mind and a well-balanced character.”  E.G. White, Education: Ch.21, The Study of Physiology

It was late June, about 8 o’clock in the morning, and the hot summer sun was already beating down on everyone and everything that was underneath it. A varsity high school soccer team was preparing for their upcoming season in August. School was already out for summer vacation. While most of their classmates and young people their age were sleeping comfortably in their beds, the members of the team had decided that they would prepare for the upcoming season each morning during the week, all summer long. They were deeply motivated to prepare and anxious to get the season started.  The previous season, they had lost a heartbreaker in overtime in the semifinals. Determined to come back even stronger the following season, the team made a pact to work hard and improve over the summer to reach the finals and win the championship.

Day one of the summer work out session, the players and coaches arrived early and ready to put in work. The players were excited to work on their skills, but the coaches had other plans. The players had noticed that the coaches had not brought any soccer balls to the training session.  The players were puzzled and asked the coaches why they had not brought any soccer balls.  The coaches answered stating that before they could even begin to work on skill and strategy, the team needed to work on strength and conditioning. The coaches then explained to the team that the main reason why the team had lost such a close game in overtime was that the team was physically exhausted, which then caused a mental breakdown throughout the team and one mistake lead to another and before they knew it, the opposition scored the winning goal. Physical strength and conditioning, the coaches strongly emphasized, were the foundation pieces to building mental and spiritual strength. The rest of that week and throughout the summer, the team ran a mile each day and worked out in the weight room because they came into the awareness that a strong and healthy body results in a strong and healthy mind.

​Psalm 139:14 says, “I will praise Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.”

The Lord knew what He was doing when He created us. His plan was for us to be strong and healthy because that discipline and care towards our body would help us in training our mind and spirit to be strong as well because it would allow us to be the best possible “players” or “workers” on God’s team. God be with you as you build on the foundation for mental and spiritual strength, and that is a strong and healthy body.