The "E" Word

Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees
Hebrews 12:12

Well, I did it. I decided to do the ‘E’ thing. It was a struggle to start, but now I have decided that I it must be a part of my life. Yup, I exercised. Last Thursday night, right after work, Dan and I walked back into the gym after a 6 month sabbatical and exercised. I tried to find reasons not to go. You know, my ankle hurt. I was too tired. Too many things to do. My flesh was weak. . . . .

Two years ago Dan and I decided to join a gym to get fit. We felt that in order to enjoy our lives to the fullest, we must be able to breath. Of course, the more weight you have on your body and the less you move, the harder it becomes to breath. Out of the two years we have been members of “In Shape”, we have attended about 6 months. Isn’t that sad? Yes, I’m sad.

So, Thursday morning I woke up and went to work knowing that my day would end at the gym. In many ways, I was excited to begin exercising. I remembered how great it felt earlier this year when I was able to exercise for longer periods of time as I became stronger. I remembered how it made me feel mentally that I was taking care of myself. This is where my motivation was coming from. This is what I was drawing on all day. I couldn’t wait to go.

As 5:00 p.m. was approaching, my excitement started to turn to dread. I was tired, my ankle hurt, I had a lot of things to do at home and I didn’t want to go to the gym. I began telling myself I could start next week, but I knew next week would only put off the very thing I needed today. I was going to the gym if it killed me.

I arrived home and immediately went to get my workout clothes on. I knew if I didn’t go right away, I would talk myself out of it. I asked Dan if he was going with me, he wasn’t too excited about it, but he said he would go. My shoes didn’t feel right, my clothes were tighter than I remembered and my ankle was hurting but I was going to the gym.

When we arrived, we decided we had better start slow and get back into our routine. So, we jumped on the treadmills. At 3 miles an hour, my heartrate was where it needed to be and I was feeling good. Then…. I began to look around. This is a big mistake at a gym. You see all kinds of people, young and old, fat and skinny, fit and flabby. The guy next to me was running on the treadmill. The girl in front of me was walking fast on a steep incline. People behind me running on the cross trainers and I am only going 3 miles an hour. So, being the competitive person that I am I decided to speed up.

I moved my steps to 3.5 mph. Not a lot I am sure you are saying, but keep in mind I haven’t worked out in over 6 months. Within seconds I couldn’t breath. I broke out in a sweat (I hate to sweat, it’s not ladylike) and my heart rate climbed high. Of course I immediately slowed it back down to 3 mph, but my heart had already began rebelling so I was struggling to catch my breath for a few minutes. I glanced at the guy next to me who was running, and he wasn’t even breaking a sweat. How does he do that? Of course, he is able to do that because he does it so often and he has become strong.

The Lord began to show me that our spiritual life is the same way. That in order to become strong, we must exercise our faith. There are all kinds of people in the church as well. They are spiritually young, old, fat, skinny, fit and flabby. The young are energized and excited about being in the house of God. The old are tired, they have no energy and no longer feel needed in the house of God. The fat are content to sit in the pew and take in the word without excercising the faith or serving in ministry. The skinny only attend once in a while for a small morsal of the word. The fit are there for the long haul, they can run and not break a sweat. Now the flabby, they are dieters. They take in the word, starve a while and return to take in more only to starve again. So, which are you? Young, old, fat, skinny, flabby or fit? Which do you want to become?

Hebrews 12 talks about how God disciplines his children. In order to make us strong, God must discipline us as a father disciplines his child. Discipline creates a right behavior. If we weren’t corrected or disciplined in our ways, we would always remain weak and unable to handle the trials of life. To become the fit man, we must be willing to exercise our faith daily. As we begin to make reading the word and praying a daily routine, we will begin to crave that which is good. Our spiritual muscles will become stronger and we will be able to graduate to a deeper understanding of God and His will. Our scripture of the week says, “wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees”, we need to do the ‘E’ thing so we can strengthen our feeble arms and weak knees. As you begin your exercise program this week, remember to start where you are and don’t compare yourself to those around you. Ask Jesus to become your personal trainer and to assist you with increasing your endurance. That no matter what hill you must climb or what speed you must run, that you will be able to run and not faint.

My prayer
Father, we lift up our feeble arms and we stand on our weak knees before you. Strengthen our bodies, both physically and spiritually. Lead us on a path of healthy living. Jesus, be our personal trainer. Help us to live a life of integrity as you have done. Help us to be strong and endure the tests of life. Be with us and guide us. Your ways are higher than ours, and your thoughts better than ours. We leave our lives in your hands. Amen

If It Doesn't Fit . . .

Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head. 
David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them. “I cannot go in these,” he said to Saul, “because I am not used to them.” So he took them off. 
Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.
1 Samuel 17:38-40

I am going to bare my soul ladies. A couple of weeks ago, I wore the wrong slip to church. Can any of you sympathize with me?

I woke up late and was running behind as I do most Sunday mornings. I’m not sure what it is about Sundays, but I just can’t seem to get up and move like I do Monday through Friday. Anyway, after the teeth brushing, shower, shampoo, blow dry, make-up and choose my clothes routine, I couldn’t find my slip. I know Oprah said we don’t need to wear them anymore, but I felt I needed one. Regardless of what Oprah says, my Mom taught me that a lady always wears a slip with a dress.

I searched through each of my drawers, in the closet, in the laundry room and even in Dan’s drawers. My slip couldn’t be found. So, I resorted to one of my older slips. One that was a little too tight. After thinking about it for a few seconds, I put it on and talked myself into thinking it fit. When I sat down to put on my shoes, it rode up. I pulled it down, and decided it wouldn’t do that at church and started out the door. Take my advise, if it doesn’t fit at home it definitely isn’t going to fit at church.

I arrived at church just in time to pull my slip down and get to my Bible class. I pondered as to whether or not I should just remove the slip and go slip less. I decided once again, to keep it on. I walked quickly to class, sat in the same chair I always do and listened to the class discussion. Although this time, my slip was riding up to my waist. I slyly try to pull it down as I wiggle behind the table. I was successful on one side but not the other. I know of few people around probably wondered why I was wiggling so much, now you know. It was the slip. After class, I waited until almost everyone was gone and grabbed my slip and pulled it down one last time. So I thought.

I walked into the sanctuary and begun walking around shaking hands with everyone. Much to my surprise, every step resulted in the slip moving up until it was to my waist. I went into the restroom and pulled it back down, admonishing myself for wearing a slip that was too small. Again, I wondered if I should just take it off. Of course I didn’t, I just knew this time it would stay down.

Church began and I stood to sing. Now, I wasn’t moving much so I still don’t know how the walk from the restroom to stand in my seat once again caused my slip to ride up. I was grabbing it through my dress trying to get it down, wiggling mighty fine I am sure. It is an art, pulling your slip down through your dress. You pull your skirt up about 3 inches, grab a piece of the slip and pull your skirt down as you do a jig. You continue these steps until it is down and then repeat these steps on the other side. I didn’t look to see who was behind me, because I am sure it was quite a show watching me try to get a ‘too small’ slip down back over my hips.

I shouldn’t have worn that slip. It didn’t fit. And because I wore it, I wasn’t able to think of anything else during that time. Of course I wouldn’t share this little incident if there wasn’t a story behind it. Many times we allow things in our lives to distract us without realizing it. In the case of my slip, because I was so adamant about wearing it, I was consumed with making one that was too small fit. Even when I knew before leaving the house that it wouldn’t stay down, I knew I couldn’t walk outside the house without one. Truth be told though, I didn’t need one with this particular dress.

When David was preparing to fight the Giant, Saul dressed David in his armor. I am sure the armor had saved Saul many times in battle and gave much needed protection, so he was offering it to David as he was moving into battle. Now, David was smarter than I was. He noticed right away that they didn’t feel right and that they would distract him, so he took them off and went to battle with the familiar things that worked for him in the past. He took his staff and his stones and walked out in the name of the Lord. He could have worn Saul's armor, but I wonder how the battle would have ended. Would he have been showing lack of faith at God’s protection? Would he have been distracted at the foreign armor and not able to move because it would fall down? Imagine David stepping out to slay the giant and then having to stop to pull down his breastplate. The inch trick wouldn’t work on that I am sure. And I doubt seriously that Goliath would wait for him to get it down in place. He would attack while David was distracted.

How many times have we put on things in our life that caused distraction to what God wanted us to do? Did we put on anger, instead of patience? Hate instead of love? Doubt instead of faith? That in our distraction, the enemy attacked? Let's be like David, take off those protections that don't fit, and walk out in God's name with only those things God armored us with. The full armor of God.

My prayer:
Dear Father, We lift up our lives today and ask for your mercy. Many times we put on armor that is too big and forget that you are in control. Help us to take up your armor only. The belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, out feet fit with the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit. Give us wisdom to remove those things that are too small or too big and not try to make them fit. Keep us close in your love. Strengthen our faith. Challenge us to move outside our comfort zones and into your work under your name. Amen.