Researchers in Taiwan recently determined to discover the minimal amount of exercise that would reap health benefits.[i] The study wasn’t an attempt to excuse laziness or poor priorities. Those in the charge of the study merely wanted to discover whether or not even small amounts of exercise could lead to significant results. Here’s what they found: just fifteen minutes of exercise a day can lead to a longer life.
The study found that people who exercised fifteen minutes a day cut their risk of death by fourteen percent and extended their life expectancy by three years compared with people who engaged in no exercise at all. God’s world is one in which the little can lead to the big. The small can reap the significant.
It this is true with the body, perhaps it’s also true with the soul. Many of us who complain we don’t have an hour or thirty minutes to exercise also bemoan the fact that we don’t have an hour or thirty minutes to pray or read Scripture or seek solitude or serve others. But instead of looking at what we don’t have, perhaps we should maximize what we do have.
Could 10 to 15 minutes of focused and intentional spiritual exercise have a significant long-term affect on your spirit and soul? Try it. I think you’ll find that the answer is a resounding “yes.”
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[i] “Daily exercise of 15 minutes helps,” Alicia Chang, Associated Press, The Commercial Appeal A10 (8/21/01)
