July 31st blog post

God's Gym

 

 

I workout at the gym with my husband, Chuck.  I've been going since the beginning of the year but he has been going for years.  One look at the two of us and it is obvious that we do not lift the same amount of weight.  Chuck's muscles are much stronger than mine and he can lift more weight and often times do more reps than I am capable of.  The nice thing about working out with him is he doesn't expect me to lift what he does and so he doesn't push me to try to lift what I am not yet able to.  Don't get me wrong, he will push me to try and become stronger but he does it with encouragement and support.  If, like this morning, he sees that I am struggling or not feeling well he will encourage me to take it easy, rest, and not push myself beyond what I am ready for.  I believe he does this so that I don't get hurt or discouraged and give up on going to the gym all together.  He is excited for me, that I am there and wanting to keep myself fit and healthy.  His gentle and continual support and encouragement has helped keep me focused and returning to the gym day after day.  The results are that I am stronger and healthier.

 

Chuck's support is not the only experience I have had at the gym.  The first day I went to the gym with Chuck was a tough day.  I weighed 35 pounds more than I do now and it was obvious I was not in the kind of shape that many of the people working out around me were in.  I remember vividly one fit young woman who walked by me with her heavy weights in hand, she gave me a quick glance up and down and then snickered shaking her head as she passed by me.  Then another two ladies working out together did the same thing.   It took a lot for me to remind myself that I was not there for their approval but for my benefit, for my health, for my growth, for my strength to increase.  It would have been easy to let their jeers push me away to never return.

 

My gym experiences remind me of today's reading in Romans concerning our faith.  Life is like the gym, God's Gym, and each day we need to exercise our faith to help it grow and to be strong.  We all are at different levels in our faith and understand and each day we should be striving and seeking to grow in our knowledge and faith so that we can handle whatever lays before us in life.  If our faith is strong we need to remember to be careful not to look down on those who's faith is not where ours is but to support them, encourage them, and be there to help them as they grow.   We should come along aside them and let them know they are not alone and help them push through the difficult moments. If our faith is not as strong as others we have to be careful not to look at them and get discouraged or feel ashamed of our weak faith.  We can't give up and abandon our faith but ask God to help increase our faith and stay focused.  We also need to encourage, support and thank those with a stronger faith as they can help us in the growth of our faith.

 

"Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification."  Romans 14:19

 

May each of you be encouraged today to exercise your faith and grow in your wisdom and understanding and to support encourage those around you so that they too may grow.