God created us as embodied human beings. The body has a natural healing ability to overcome adversity, pain, and even trauma. When we consider all things as coming from a benevolent God, including how our body experiences its surroundings, it brings a new revelation about the guidance of God in our lives. This book seeks to restore a holistic view of the human being as embodied and sacred.
The author Alisa Keeton was a professional fitness coach for over 30 years before she founded a Christian wellness ministry. She reflects on how family trauma shaped her career pursuits. As a young woman who actively pursued fitness but yet “desperately needed wisdom about her body,” she missed many opportunities to truly understand what it means to be embodied in God’s truth and healing power. As Corinthians 6:19-20 says, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?” She embraced the truth that we are called to honor God with our bodies instead of living “disintegrated lives.” “The bodies He’s given us are useful for metabolizing, not just food, but also mental and emotional pain,” she writes.
Reading this book made me realize that we have left many important things out of our theology and spiritual practices. Take human emotions for example. Unprocessed emotional pain might be suppressed for a while, but the energy cannot be destroyed. It often reshapes our selfhood or is passed onto someone else. The body “keeps the score” because it is an instrument through which God’s works are fulfilled. As we partner with our bodies to understand this intricate dynamic, we can progress from merely surviving to thriving.
In this broken world, God intended us for “a life of tension.” Emotions and feelings are important because they help us know where we are “at all times in relationship to His presence and peace.” One easy and accessible practice is through focusing on breathing. It is no coincidence that “spirit” and “breath” share the same Greek word, pneuma, in the Bible. Too often, we stay in our mind about God while forgetting that “the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace” (Rom. 8:6). As the author writes, “He is with you, for you, and as near as your breath. … When you remember to breathe purposefully, you give the Holy Spirit a fighting chance to keep you free by remembering the One who gives you breath.”
The book also discusses how kindness and self-compassion are like “basic vitamins” for our existence. When we process emotional pain through a self-compassionate mindset, we are adopting “the mind of Christ” toward ourselves. It is because of God’s presence that we are never alone in situations of adversity. His very presence is helpful. Sometimes we just need to grab on to that promise of God’s presence and wait upon him for extra strength.
There are 24 bite-sized chapters under three sections. Each chapter shares the experiences of the author and other Christians who worked on the path of gaining wisdom into the human body. With guided questions and a prayer at the end of each chapter, this book is very suitable discussion material for a small group that welcomes conversations about trauma and embodied healing. (Tyndale Refresh)
About the Author
Mary Li Ma is a member of Plymouth Heights CRC church in Grand Rapids, Mich. She holds a Ph.D. from Cornell University and now works as a research analyst for a national research center on education equity.