Crossway iconCrosswaySep 29, 2026 ~3 min source read

Christians Should Treat Their Bodies as Stewardship, Not Status

Jen Wilkin argues that Christian stewardship covers our physical bodies: keep them healthy to serve others, but avoid turning health or beauty into idols.

The Call to Good Stewardship Extends to Your Body

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Useful takeaways from this story.

Stewardship includes the body: Christians are called to care for physical health because bodies are instruments for serving others.

Practical care is appropriate: preserving joint health and mobility matters because believers will use their bodies to meet others’ needs.

Reject self-serving priorities: health and external beauty should not be treated as ends in themselves or idols.

The useful part

Biblical Stewardship Christians understand themselves to be stewards of literally every single aspect of life, and our bodies are no exception to that. I think where this gets cloudy is when we bump into cultural associations with what it means to steward your body well. Anyone who has spent any time on social media knows there are many ways to think about stewarding a body.

How it works

  • How to Pray about Aging Susan Hunt January 09, 2021 In God's sweet providence, I began studying Psalm 90 about a year before my eightieth birthday, asking the Lord to teach me how to glorify him in old age.
  • Anyone who has ever seen a Hollywood actor or actress age into the wrinkled phase of life knows that there are many ways to think about what it means to upkeep our physical bodies.
  • So when we think about stewardship as Christians, we think of our bodies as primarily useful, not primarily decorative or for our own purposes.
  • Dust to Dust Jen Wilkin In this biblical meditation on aging, Jen Wilkin draws poetic parallels between the first half of life and the second, inviting us to live fully at every stage.
  • It means we want to keep our joints as healthy as possible, because we have the feet of Jesus in this life.

What to take from it

Many of us struggle with aging because we know it is often a season of loss. We are the ones who will walk to help those who are in need of clothing, shelter, drink, or food. We also don't make their health or their external beauty an idol or a means to an end that is self-serving.

Example or evidence

  • She has authored multiple Bible studies and books, including the best seller Women of the Word.
  • Our whole-life pro-life commitment means we believe every person at every stage of life is made in the image of God.
  • Betters January 04, 2021 If you're like most women, fear about your changing physical appearance is just the beginning of aging anxiety.

Details worth keeping

We think of them as something that we submit to service for others. That's on us, so, yes, we want our bodies to be as healthy as possible. An Open Letter to the Woman Struggling with Aging Sharon W.

Related coverage

  • Ibelieve: God calls you to honor him in every part of your life, including how you care for your health.
  • Jentezenfranklin: "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful." Psalm 1:1 The average person, across a lifetime, will walk roughly...
  • Jentezenfranklin: "You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house..." - Deuteronomy 6:7 The porch light was still burning at two in the morning when the car finally pulled...
  • Omanobserver: A dancer wearing a traditional costume performs during a "Convite," a traditional dance festival in Guatemala— AFP

More context around this story.

7 Ways to Honor God through a Healthy Lifestyle
Ibelieve iconIbelieveSep 26, 2026

7 Ways to Honor God through a Healthy Lifestyle

God calls you to honor him in every part of your life, including how you care for your health. Your generous Creator has given you your body and soul as a gift, and taking good care of them is an act of worship.Caring for every part of your health is a meaningful way to live out your faith day by day. The best way to d

The Glorious Body — Dust to dust, ashes to ashes.
Asn iconAsnSep 29, 2026

The Glorious Body — Dust to dust, ashes to ashes.

Phillip Jensen writes – “Dear friends, People’s attitudes towards their bodies can be quite diverse: from those who are embarrassed, to those who are proud; from those who hide their appearance behind excessive clothing to those who glory in their display of flesh. Within the ancient world, and still amongst ‘super spi

Jentezenfranklin iconJentezenfranklinSep 30, 2026

Keep Your Walk Clean

"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful." Psalm 1:1 The average person, across a lifetime, will walk roughly 75,000 miles on their feet. Everything depends on them. Balance. Mobility. The ability to move forward. Doctors wh

Jentezenfranklin iconJentezenfranklinSep 26, 2026

Don't Just Admire It, Wear It

"You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house..." - Deuteronomy 6:7 The porch light was still burning at two in the morning when the car finally pulled into the gravel driveway. For years, neighbors had watched the elderly couple across the street live out a quiet,

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