Heavy Lifting

Recently after a longer than expected hiatus from working out I've begun the long and sometimes arduous regimen of cardio and weight lifting.  I know many of us so called "I'm in great shape" people out there usually put this off until small hamsters start to look more beefy than us, but in this case I really thought I was in better shape than I really was.  From my perspective I was in "ok" shape and could probably hold my own in a scrappy street fight, yet after working out today with a good friend I realized that I could probably hold my own with a few of those afore mentioned hamsters.

Ok, enough with the silliness (can there really be too much).

I've been thinking that maybe the church (myself included) could possibly be thinking we are stronger than we really are.  Maybe in the past we used to lift the huge bar bells and were capable of taking on the world with nordic like faith and spiritual connection with God.  Yet I have to pause and really question whether I am a weight lifter in my faith and in my relationship with God and with others...  let me restate that... am I capable of really loving God and others and operate with a genuine faith?

Sometimes I don't want to do the heavy lifting in my own life when it comes to faith and really making it a reality in the day to day.  Lifting weights really isn't the most glamorous activity, especially when you are rebuilding or just starting out.  Who is impressed when someone is lifting the 5 lb. weights, practically no one.  Yet when you see the nordic people just smashing away the really impressive weights sometimes it really causes you to pause and say "man, what was he/she drinking and how can I get some."

I want my faith practice and life to be that way... don't you... to be a nordic follower of Christ who has such faith, trust in God, and willingness to take up the heavy issues in life... to work through the failures, to overcome the desire to just throw in the towel and head for the vending machine, hit E3 and pick up your fresh candy bar... I can't tell you how many times I've done that in my faith journey...

That's what I believe faith is... a journey... we've been learning about Abraham's journey of faith in church recently and man this guy really had a journey... BUT guess what, your journey can be just as great or even better... not out of comparison, but I have a funny feeling that God wants to use and bless the socks off His creation and make their journey amazing...   Abraham took his time in his faith journey, he wandered for years, he started with the 5 lb. weights adn worked hard, methodically, and sometimes even fell of the wagon, and ate a king sized snickers...

For me I am currently in the middle of journey, but not the fun picture taking kind of journey... I am in the middle of one of those grueling marathon races where you are on mile 16 and you just can't believe you have 10 miles left... you can't even fathom the finish line but all you have is just the few feet of pavement in front of you... it's painful and hard, but it is real...

Real faith, real love, real journey, real pain, real failures, real blessings... God is real and empowers us to do so much, just in His timing and in His ways...

Wherever you are in your faith journey, be lifting 300 lbs. or lifting the remote, start the journey... you have to start somewhere, why not now, why not today, why not this second...

Love like Christ, live with Him, share in the journey...

Blessings,

Sam