In my last article (See The Final Call, Vol. 44 No. 2), I discussed the first four of the Eight Steps of Atonement given to us by the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan.
This article will discuss the final four steps. We will begin with reviewing step number five which focuses on taking action to show you are sorry for what you did. Step five states: Atonement—Meaning to make amends and reparations for the wrong.
One reason I am grateful for the monthly three-day Nation of Islam National Fast is because it allows me to cleanse impurities from my body and reset my diet. Fasting helps me to make “amends” or improve my diet.
I always feel better after a fast. You should consider taking the time to write down everything you have eaten for the past three days and evaluate it. Point out anything that you know you need to change. Small changes can make a big difference.
I remember taking my father to the doctor and finding out his blood sugar levels had started going back up, but his weight was basically the same. The doctor asked if his diet had changed. My father was quiet. I said, “I still feed him navy bean soup and the majority of his meals are vegetarian. I then asked my dad if he had started returning to McDonald’s.
He said he only goes there a couple of times a week for a “small fish sandwich, small fries, and small cola.” (Notice his emphasis on “small.” Smile). Wow! If eating fast food a couple of times a week can have this effect, imagine what eating it every day and not exercising is doing to people.
Let us look at the final steps of Atonement and see how we can incorporate them into our fitness lifestyle. (Quotes are from Minister Farrakhan’s Million Man March Atonement Message on October 16, 1995.)
- Atonement: Atone means to make amends. What are we going to do to start the process of fitness atonement? Are we going to fast for three days and then promise ourselves to eat a healthier diet? Are we going to start walking five times a week? Are there some items you need to cut out of your diet or replace in your daily diet? We have to make amends to our bodies before it is too late.
- Forgiveness: We have to grant ourselves pardon for what we have done, or else we may spend too much time “beating ourselves up” and be unable to make a change.
- Reconciliation/Restoration: “After forgiveness, we are going to be restored. To what? To our original position … . So, restoration means the act of returning something to an original or unimpaired condition,” the Minister stated in part during his address at the Million Man March/Holy Day of Atonement on October 16, 1995.
Wouldn’t you like to have a healthy 20-year-old body and you are 40 years old? Because of our poor lifestyles or “death styles,” we age a lot quicker than we should.
8. Perfect Union: When we are in perfect union, we are using our body and treating our body the way Allah (God) intended. We also will have a beautiful feeling of peace.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful to lay your head down tonight knowing that you have prayed, eaten a healthy meal, exercised, and were kind to yourself and others? Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be able to say, “I have not wronged my body today?”
May Allah (God) bless us all with peace, love, health, wealth, and happiness.
Dr. Audrey Muhammad is an educator, aerobics instructor, and author of “Get Fit to Live: Be Your Best You!” Contact her at [email protected] and for more information, visit www.virtuetodaymag.com. Please consult a physician before beginning any new exercise or dietary program.
