Over the past couple of weeks, I've been getting lots of positive feedback from the blog. I've been reflecting on the "motivational expressions" of my favorite fitness trainer, Tony Horton, creator of the popular P90X fitness program. I have been surprised at how much Tony's words of encouragement related to physical fitness also apply to our spiritual fitness. First we looked at, "Do your best and forget the rest," and then last week we talked about what it means to, "Bring it." This week I offer one last expression from Tony, and it has to do with perseverance. Tony says, "Too many people, when they are exercising, quit way too soon."
Tony is quick to draw the distinction between the pain that leads to growth and the pain that results from injury. In order to improve our level of fitness, we have to be willing to endure the pain that leads to growth. According to Tony, the problem with many who exercise, is that when they start to feel the pain that leads to growth, they quit. Tony says, "Some people just have something inside them that says, 'That hurts. I quit.'" Tony points out that when it comes to getting in the best shape of your life, "It's supposed to hurt!" The kind of pain Tony endorses is the pain that comes from pushing ourselves beyond our comfort zones. The temptation is to quit when we experience that pain, but if we quit, we don't really improve our level of fitness. Tony says the key is to "keep showing up" and to keep pushing ourselves.
I think the same thing is true of our spiritual fitness. Some people start to follow Jesus, but they discover it isn't usually convenient or easy. When they start to get challenged, some people say, "That hurts. I quit."
It hurts to discipline our schedule so that we have time to worship and serve. It hurts to attend Bible Study or Small Group when we are already tired from a full day. It hurts to manage our finances so that we can give money to support God's work in the world. It hurts to battle temptation and live a different kind of lifestyle in order to honor God. It hurts to face our personal brokenness and get honest with God about our motives and our attitudes. It hurts to discipline ourselves to forgive people we would rather hate. It hurts to say "Yes" to the nudging of the Holy Spirit when we would rather say, "No." And yet, this is the kind of hurt that leads to growth and allows us to become the people God created us to be. Sometimes we feel like quitting, but if we will persevere, the rewards will be worth it both in this life and the next.
The Bible tells us that we should not grow weary in doing what is good, but to remember that we will reap an abundant harvest if we do not give up (Galatians 6:9). If you have something inside you that says, "It hurts. I quit," remind yourself that perseverance is one of the ways we prove that our faith is genuine. It is the only way to become spiritually fit. It is the only way to become the people God intends for us to be. I hope you will keep showing up for worship each weekend. And I hope that you will push yourself beyond your comfort zone. Do not grow weary doing what is good! An abundant harvest awaits us, if we do not give up. Yes, it hurts, but yes, it's worth it. Keep showing up.
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