A Lesson in Strength
Have I mentioned that I like lifting? Like it is my preferred workout. Jeff bought me a Bella barbell a few years back as a birthday gift and it is probably my favorite gift I have ever received (except salvation, obviously :-).
I used to say that I could survive with simply a Bible, barbell and coffee. That still holds true.
There's a principle in lifting that has a significant crossover into your life as a Christian. When you are learning proper mechanics and technique in lifting you are constantly told to keep the barbell close to you. The closer it is to you, the greater the pulling power and the more weight you can lift. When the barbell gets out away from you, that's when you miss and hurt yourself. Sometimes in training a coach will hold a broom or meter stick super close to an athlete to help the athlete keep the barbell close to their own body. It's a great visual cue when you're trying NOT to hit the stick.
So what does any of that have to do with Christianity?
We are guaranteed the strength of the Lord when we actually need it. We actually need it when things are hard and real and in your face. When they're CLOSE to you. Have you ever heard someone declare "There's no way I could handle this or that difficulty." Well, when that difficulty is not close to you, forcing you to deal with it, you're right, you DON'T have the strength to lift it. God gives us the strength that we need to handle the things that are close in and are real.
The majority of things that we are anxious about, fear, or fret over are things farther out, things away from us. Not things close in. And when we try to hold those things and deal with them, just like in weight lifting, we miss the right way to handle them and we end up hurting ourselves.
What are you busy trying to handle that the Lord has not brought close? Where are your worries and anxieties causing you to miss the strength that the Lord is giving you for THIS day?
Don't miss this next lift because you wasted your strength on things that are simply a distraction. Sufficient for today.
I used to say that I could survive with simply a Bible, barbell and coffee. That still holds true.
There's a principle in lifting that has a significant crossover into your life as a Christian. When you are learning proper mechanics and technique in lifting you are constantly told to keep the barbell close to you. The closer it is to you, the greater the pulling power and the more weight you can lift. When the barbell gets out away from you, that's when you miss and hurt yourself. Sometimes in training a coach will hold a broom or meter stick super close to an athlete to help the athlete keep the barbell close to their own body. It's a great visual cue when you're trying NOT to hit the stick.
So what does any of that have to do with Christianity?
We are guaranteed the strength of the Lord when we actually need it. We actually need it when things are hard and real and in your face. When they're CLOSE to you. Have you ever heard someone declare "There's no way I could handle this or that difficulty." Well, when that difficulty is not close to you, forcing you to deal with it, you're right, you DON'T have the strength to lift it. God gives us the strength that we need to handle the things that are close in and are real.
The majority of things that we are anxious about, fear, or fret over are things farther out, things away from us. Not things close in. And when we try to hold those things and deal with them, just like in weight lifting, we miss the right way to handle them and we end up hurting ourselves.
What are you busy trying to handle that the Lord has not brought close? Where are your worries and anxieties causing you to miss the strength that the Lord is giving you for THIS day?
Don't miss this next lift because you wasted your strength on things that are simply a distraction. Sufficient for today.