The Weight Room

Last Thursday, I was on the stepping machine leaving a pool of sweat on the floor below me. My eyes burned from the sweat. My mind still experienced some morning grogginess. Some muscles were kind of sore. Thoughts of the impending start of the "real" day comingled with the rawness of the morning workout.

Then, I started thinking about Jesus - actually Jesus and the weight room.

I used to be very intimidated by the weight room and, for that matter, anything that remotely resembled any type of sport. Yet, in mid-August, a friend asked if I wanted to join him and some others in the mornings at the weight room. My initial reaction, "Yeah, sure." (Translated: You have to be kidding me. No way.) However, I quickly learned that the weight room is not so intimidating. In fact, it meets people right where they are - regardless of their strengths... or weaknesses. In fact, a guy like me, who is not particularly strong, can get started on a program with lighter weight and keep adding weight and/or repetitions. In some ways, this really reminded me of Jesus. Friends bring people to Jesus (think about the paralytic lowered down into the house). Jesus meets people right where they are and then says follow him and see how he does it. Then he says, "I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly" (Matthew 11:30, Message). I italicized the words heavy and ill-fitting because this ties back to the weight room. Obviously, I have to start with weights that I can move (or else they would be too heavy or ill-fitting). If I keep it up long enough (keep company with the weight room), I'll be able to add more weight and this will be the new "fit" but the old weight will now be light. Okay, so I hope this isn't too goofy sounding but it is pretty cool to think about Jesus on the stepping machine.

Out.