Good morning! The other day something crazy got into me. I went to the gym for the first time in years to lift weights?! I don’t know what got into me, but I enjoyed every second of it. What made it even better was spending time with my nephew as he made me look like a complete wimp LOL!
It’s OK, I felt great knowing that I was doing something to strengthen my body and clear my mind as I focused on training specific muscles. We worked on the chest and back muscles and as tough as it was, it was rewarding all the more.
Working out is great, but I also enjoy the chit chat that goes back and forth among some of the people as they are doing their own workout. I’m convinced that all of the world’s problems are solved within the hour that was spent at the gym LOL!
As the day went on I was feeling great! I woke up early on a day off to make sure we could get to the gym early and then we had family over later in the day. I ended up staying up later than I wanted to but finally got to bed. This is where everything changed.
When I woke up, my body was SO SORE from the workout – to the point where it even hurt to put on deodorant LOL! When I would lift my arms up all I could feel was pain. As much as it hurt, I’m thankful for the pain because it gave me some reminders.
- Keep Going – The pain reminded me to keep going so that I can get past the point of being THIS sore. As I continue to lift weights, the muscles will develop and become stronger.
- Watch My Diet – The pain reminded me to watch the food and drink that I consume to ensure the hard work pays off. I want to support the development of my muscles with fuel to help it rather than garbage that will fight against it.
There was barely a moment throughout the day that I didn’t feel the soreness in my body which means I was reminded all throughout the day. This got me thinking about my relationship with God and how important it is for us to ‘lift weights’ to train ourselves to live according the the Spirit.
When I say ‘lift weights’ I mean to spend time in God’s Word and applying it to our lives. It’s not always easy because there are things in the Bible that won’t be easily accepted by our sinful nature and definitely won’t agree with the culture around us. But just like pushing ourselves in the gym to grow stronger, we have to push ourselves spiritually to grow in becoming more like Jesus!
The great thing about spending the time to spiritually ‘lift weights’ is that we will begin to feel that soreness which reminds us to keep going and watch our diet!
Keep going to get past the point of soreness and develop a lifestyle that honors God. As we continue to spend time with Jesus and our life begins to look more like Him, we become stronger and more confident to go through any situation in a way that shines the light of Jesus.
Watching our spiritual diet consists of paying close attention to the things that we allow into our hearts, minds, and souls. The things we watch, read, and listen to; the things we participate in and the company we keep.
It’s important to keep going and watch our diet – it can’t be one or the other. If we keep going but allow garbage into our lives, the two fight against each other. The same happens when we watch our diet but don’t keep exercising spiritually – it becomes a matter of self help rather than relying on God to bring real transformation!
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”
1 Corinthians 9:24-27
Heavenly Father, thank You for the reminder this morning to keep growing in our relationship with You! The soreness of the growing pains reminds us to keep going and to pay attention to the way we live. Help us to trust in You and rely on You to help us to grow and not just try to change ourselves through mere will power. It is only through Your Spirit that we can be forever TRANSFORMED. In Jesus Name – AMEN!
Be Transformed 