This seems to be one of my favorite topics lately. God has certainly been taking me through the kiln during this season of life. Last night I talked for a bit to a wise Christian lady on this topic, specifically my propensity to withdraw or hide rather than embracing the pain.
Embracing pain is something I have never mastered. Most of my life I stuffed it down inside until it became overwhelming and then went into seclusion. In the past year, I think that my threshold for tolerating pain has increased - but so has the level of the pain. Of course most believers will recognize God's hand in this. I find a strong parallel to how He works with my experiences at the gym.
I go 5 days a week and work out. I spend 20-30 minutes on the elliptical and then hit the weights. My goal is to increase my endurance, reduce my weight and improve my physical conditioning. Day after day I see people who do the exact same (light) work out. They never break a sweat and they never appear to be straining. Over the months, I see no change in their appearance.
Contrast this to more serious folk who show up every day and work themselves hard. I have watched one lady drop 15 lbs or so in the last 3 months. I watch another very overweight gentleman pound away on the cardio machines for an hour every day, I am sure that his effort will be rewarded with improved health.
I am committed to improving MY health as well. This means I am regularly increasing the resistance and the weight on the machines I use. Most days I am pretty wiped by the time I finish. Some days I ache in places I didn't know I had places. But the price is worth it. I am 12 lbs lighter and have dropped 60+ points on my cholesterol. I look better, feel better and have more energy.
God works the same way - He is conditioning our heart, our mind and our soul. Yeah it hurts and yes the pain increases as we learn to tolerate the current levels. The end result is maturity and a Godly nature.
Don't give up, it is all worth it.
No comments:
Post a Comment