Apr. 30, 2008 - Exercise
Exercise is not a subject to which I commit much mental energy, let alone the physical kind. Oh sure, I think how nice it would be to bound up the steps and not jiggle, but actually doing something about it is a different story altogether.
Over the years I've developed a short list of things I don't like: I don't like to be hot, tired, sweaty, or sore. Those aversions are in direct opposition to any attempt I might long to make to remedy my less-than-firm physique. For now, I guess I'll just rely on my 6-foot frame to give the illusion of a much leaner mom. My husband assures me again and again that my post-pregnancy body(x7) is still beautiful to him, so I'm going with that.
There is an area of exercise, however, that has been on my mind a lot recently: my spiritual growth. I can always tell when the Lord is dealing with a particular issue in my life because He starts bringing it up all over the place: my quiet time, our Pastor's sermons, messages I hear on the radio.
Recently, the verse in 1 Timothy 7 that reads, "...exercise thyself rather unto godliness" has been running through my mind. The idea that I will one day wake up and just have an all-consuming hunger for all things of the Lord, that I will suddenly have an epiphany and bring myself into total submission to Christ, or that I will no longer war against my own flesh is an absurd notion that I've hung onto for way too long. "When I hear that certain message, it will set my heart on fire." "This book on this subject by this author is just what I need." "As soon as my children are born/older/grown/out of the house, then I can really draw closer to the Lord."
No. It takes exercise, and it takes me to do it. God did the redeeming of my soul--I had nothing to do with that. Now the life of holiness that He has called me to live is my resposibility. According to Scripture, Christ has given me everything I need for "life and godliness." All I need to do is actively choose to live it; to be a doer of the Word, and not a hearer only.
So why don't I?
I heard a quote recently, and I think it very accurately speaks to what often happens in my own heart. Maybe it happens in yours, too.
"People do not drift toward holiness. Apart from grace-driven effort, people do not gravitate toward godliness, prayer, obedience to Scripture, faith, and delight in the Lord. We drift toward compromise and call it tolerance; we drift toward disobedience and call it freedom; we drift toward superstition and call it faith. We cherish the indiscipline of lost self-control and call it relaxation; we slouch toward prayerlessness and delude ourselves into thinking we have escaped legalism; we slide toward godlessness and convince ourselves we have been liberated." ~ D.A. Carson
Instead of exercise, I often find myself drifting, slouching, and sliding all over the place. It's so much easier to feed my own selfish lusts than to consistently turn my eyes to the Lord and give Him preference in every area of my life.
So, the point is this: I need to exercise, and no one can do it for me. If I want to live the rich, full, beautiful, Christ-honoring walk my Savior deserves after what He did for me, then I must work at it every single moment.
Read the Word. Pray. Do what it says. This is the life I want to live for Jesus Christ.
Comments
May. 10, 2008 - Untitled Comment
Posted by Sarah W.
Go you! I really appreciated this entry.
That D.A. Carson quote is really profound. I've been thinking about it a lot. I'm not really big on challenges myself. But God has this habit of sending them my way whether I like it or not!
Jul. 29, 2008 - Daily Exercise
Posted by mpetit
I have enjoyed reading through your posts, coming upon a few real gems, such as this one. In my life, time and time again, it has appeared to me that when I renew my focus on Jesus daily, pursuing a relationship with him (exercise), everything in my life is better. Less stress, more peace. Life's good with daily exercise of the spirit.
