Spiritual Exercise

After reading a a friend's comment on the last post I realized that I am receiving a lot of my "grain from heaven" during moments I choose to exercise. To read my blog as an outsider it would sound like I am totally fit and adore exercise. This is not true. I was an athlete in school and relied on that physical training along with a high metabolism to keep me in shape. Since then I dabbled in exercise. I would start this program or that and be faithful for a few weeks then think, "Hey, I look good enough. Why push myself?" It wasn't until this past spring that I really woke up to why I need to take care and myself. Upon the prompting of a friend from school I joined a spin class. This proved to be a horrible experience. I could not do it. Not, I was lazy and did not want to do it, I just simply could not do it. After about 10 turns of the bike I was light-headed and totally out of breath. I ended up turning the tension in my bike all the way down and just pedaling the rest of the class. My friend, who is almost 15 years older than me, offered to sit with me after class and was worried about me driving home. I was so embarrassed. It was then that I decided to get fit. Not out of vanity this time, but for my health.

Two things have occured beginning this quest. Of course, I feel better and stronger, and know that I am at least trying to do something each day toward my health, but I also had an unexpected benefit. Exercise has brought me closer to God. It was not long after I started doing some sort of physical activity each day that I started this blog. It is in those quiet times of exercise that I feel close to God, and he speaks to me the most. Just the other night I went on a late evening walk in our neighborhood and saw the beautiful sky as the sun was setting. I looked around at our sweet neighbors' houses, Haden happily playing in the front yard with friends, and thought about how different my life is now than about 10 years ago when I never thought it was in the plan for me to be this happy.

Also, as I have written in early posts, exercise has also made me realize that if I work on my physical body daily so should I work on my spiritual body. I am no where near where I need to be physcially or spiritually, but I am trying and feeling good.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20
"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body."

Role Models

It is funny who we let into our lives to be our role models. We would each say that we only have people in our life that are the ultimate role model of who we would like to be, however, how many times to we let others influence us in the way we think about ourselves or even act toward one another.

I noticed this about myself today while at the gym. I had just finished 15 minutes of weights and running a mile, and I have to say that I was feeling pretty good about myself, not arrogant by any means, just feeling healthy and strong and proud of myself for fitting some exercise into my day. I finished up my workout with a cool down walk. The walking track is right above the main weight lifting area of the gym. From my vantage point I could see all kinds of people in much better physical shape than me. My early pride in my workout and progress slowly faded away as I gazed upon women lifting massive weights with ease when I had just struggled to do a measly 35 pounds on the curl machine. I started feeling worse and worse, but then I stopped myself. This was absolutely ridiculous. I had been successful in my workout. Looking upon others to judge how I should look or feel was not the right attitude I should have.

I realize that I do this in my Christian walk as well. I am always comparing myself to the women in church who always volunteer and are at every women's bible study class. I can feel good about my bible study routine, but then I will hear about a lady who gets up at 5:00 a.m. and prays and studies for 2 hours and my spiritual balloon bursts.

I am coming to grips with the fact that God does not ask us to look around at others to judge ourselves. He only asks us to look to him, to be Christ-like. Sure, there are things we can learn from each other, but our ultimate goal is to be more like our Heavenly Father.


1 Corinthians 11:1
"Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ."


1 Peter 2:21
"For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps."


Ephesians 5:1-2
"Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

May I remember these verses the next time my eyes look to worldly role models instead of my Heavenly one.

Success

Toward the end of the school year and early summer I was super nervous about a training I was to conduct for the district. All school year long I had worked on a 21st Century Task Force to develop a grant for teachers to apply for what would allow them to have either laptops or Ipads in their classrooms. I worked with the director of professional development to create a week long training for the winners of these grants. This was to be the biggest training I have ever done for this district, and really the biggest I have ever built from scratch. Most teachers no matter what the training is for, do not love giving up an entire week of their summer to sit and be a student from 8-3 for five days in a row. It took me what seemed liked forever working and reworking the curriculum for this training. As the days got shorter to the first day of training I became overwhelmed. I had no confidence in myself left. I was really worried about what the participants would think of the training, and if is was really going to be beneficial for them.
It was then that I started doing my Bible study every morning before diving in to work on my "school work". Through the help of my devotional book I came across scripture about success. I hesitated at first praying these scriptures because I felt very selfish asking God to bless my training. Afer all it was just for school. It wasn't something at church where I would be reaching lost souls. But as the frustration grew I turned to the word. A place I should have started.

Hebrews 10:35-36
"So do not throw away your confidence. It will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised."


I even wrote this in my journal,
"It seems selfish in the moment, but I need God to help me finish preparing for this workshop. I want to do a great job.

God's Holy Word continued to speak to me...


Romans 5:3-5
"Glory in our sufferings. Suffering produces perseverance, perseverance character, and character hope."

Proverbs 16:3
"Commit to the Lord whatever you do and he will establish your plans."

Proverbs 2:7
"He holds success in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless."

Genesis 24
"When I came to the spring today, I said Lord, God of my master Abraham, if you will please grant me success to the journey I am on."

1 Samuel 18:14
"In everything he did he had great success because the Lord was with him."

Then I replaced my name in the above scripture...
"In everything Traci did she had great success because the Lord was with her."

So how did the training go.... It could not have gone any better! Praise God Almighty!! The participants were very appreciative and the hard work that was put into the training, and it all ran very smoothly. Many commented that it "flew by" and did not seem like a week of training.

I give God all the glory. I honestly believe if I had not turned it all over to him and stayed in the word during my preparation time, I would not have be successful.

To God be all the glory, honor and praise forever and ever. AMEN!