Lessons Learned At The Gym
Six months ago, I became a foster mom and the emotions of it all were new to me. It has been both tough and wonderful. I prayed that God would help me to turn to healthy places with all that my heart was going through and he has given me a lot of perseverance to make time alone at the gym a priority. I wanted this time of stress to make me stronger and healthier in every sense of the word. At first, I wanted to eat chocolate cupcakes all the time to cope, so I knew I needed a new method! Working out has helped me have time to put my mind on Christ, while at the same time moving my physical body in a healthy direction. Through my work out times, I have been amazed at all the spiritual lessons I have learned. There are many that come to my mind, but I am going to focus on the most recent lesson I have been learning.
Once a month I have been meeting with a trainer, so that I can learn how to use all the gym equipment and start new exercises I haven't tried before. The first advice I received was to focus on building lean muscle through strength training. I would need to work on changing the body's composition to lean muscle and strengthen from the inside out. I set out to weight train three days a week and started spending my time on the process of strengthening. It hurts. There is no painless way to create strength. First, it takes endurance during the exercise and pushing past what you thought you could do. Then, it takes feeding the body good things in order to build the muscle to its fullest healthy potential. There are many days of being unseen while building strength. You know it is being built inside of you, but others cannot see what is happening beneath the surface. Through perseverance, over time all that was done in secret will come to light. The body changes and looks noticeably healthier, but only after it has gone through the process of building strength through perseverance, healthy food choices, and endurance.
In life, strength building tends to work the same way. It hurts. When challenging seasons or opportunities to live outside comfort zones arise, it is what we do to strengthen from the inside out daily that will one day come to light as a new level of strength and ministry. First, patient endurance are needed to build heart strength. Next, our soul has to be fed with the word of God, prayer, and friends that will encourage us toward Christ. The time spent in secret seeking the truth and presence of God will show from the inside out. Things done in secret come to light! I pray for all of you reading this that you would not grow weary in the strengthening process life inevitably brings. Nothing you are doing is in vain, keep lifting!
1 Timothy 4:8 "For while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come."
Once a month I have been meeting with a trainer, so that I can learn how to use all the gym equipment and start new exercises I haven't tried before. The first advice I received was to focus on building lean muscle through strength training. I would need to work on changing the body's composition to lean muscle and strengthen from the inside out. I set out to weight train three days a week and started spending my time on the process of strengthening. It hurts. There is no painless way to create strength. First, it takes endurance during the exercise and pushing past what you thought you could do. Then, it takes feeding the body good things in order to build the muscle to its fullest healthy potential. There are many days of being unseen while building strength. You know it is being built inside of you, but others cannot see what is happening beneath the surface. Through perseverance, over time all that was done in secret will come to light. The body changes and looks noticeably healthier, but only after it has gone through the process of building strength through perseverance, healthy food choices, and endurance.
In life, strength building tends to work the same way. It hurts. When challenging seasons or opportunities to live outside comfort zones arise, it is what we do to strengthen from the inside out daily that will one day come to light as a new level of strength and ministry. First, patient endurance are needed to build heart strength. Next, our soul has to be fed with the word of God, prayer, and friends that will encourage us toward Christ. The time spent in secret seeking the truth and presence of God will show from the inside out. Things done in secret come to light! I pray for all of you reading this that you would not grow weary in the strengthening process life inevitably brings. Nothing you are doing is in vain, keep lifting!
1 Timothy 4:8 "For while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come."
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