Do you remember the first time you went to the gym? I sure do. I was 13 years old and a local gym opened its doors in my neighborhood. This was no frilly local civic club or old school facility, this was a real gym, filled with real workout folks. I could not have known then that places just like this would help me build up my physique and teach me about flexing grace and compassion.
I remember riding by the gym on my bike gazing through the gigantic panes of glass at the cold steel, shiny chrome, and slick rubber. The walls were lined with mirrors. The members glared intently, lifting weights with intensity regardless of time or temperature. I admired their tenacity, and their dedication. I admired their muscles. My parents must have noticed all this admiration because one day I came home to find a shiny new “weight-lifting primer for beginners” (by legendary bodybuilder Franco Columbo) on the table. I was hooked and knew that I had to join the club.
- Listen: My parents one-on-one time was crucial in emboldening me to try new things. Because they listened to me they knew that this gym was something that was of interest to me.
- Encourage: Though never having lifted weights before, my parents did not discourage me from joining the gym. They saw my interest and encouraged me to learn more for myself.
- Care: When my parents realized that I wanted to join the gym, they knew that they couldn’t afford it. But, they realized that it was something that was important to me. So, my dad brought home a reference book from the library and an old dumbbell that a neighbor had thrown away. My mom drove me to work four days a week. They encouraged me to save my money. I knew that they were behind my efforts even if they could not contribute monetarily.
- Pray: My parents prayed safety and prosperity over me and my siblings every day. They modeled their faith to me in a very real way that was a foundation for my spiritual development.
As I came out of the gym locker room for my very first workout, anyone who happened to glance in my direction would have seen a 13-year old boy trying desperately to act as if I knew exactly what I was doing! The wind was immediately taken out of my sails as the burly trainer nodded, smirked, and mentioned, “Your dad’s pretty concerned about you. When he dropped you off he asked me to make sure you didn’t hurt yourself. You’ve worked out before, right?” Of course I had. This was all old hat to me!
I went toward the manliest machine I could find, a seated cable pull-down. After sitting down, facing outward toward the gym floor and piling on all the weight I could handle, I gave a magnificent effort. Heads turned as I grunted my way to an incredible rep, my torso curled into the shape of a “C” as I struggled to simply move the stack of iron. I was flexing with the best of them!
- “Proving your worth”: Many times we do or say things that may be foolish (or even dangerous) in an attempt to prove our worth to others and ourselves.
- God’s grace makes us worthy: The good news is that we are made worthy, not by any flexing of our own muscle or efforts, but by the grace and sacrifice of God on our behalf.
- Exercise grace today: In light of this grace, practice loving the unlovable just as God loves us. You never know when a kind word or a friendly smile will allow God’s grace to shine through you to someone who may desperately need it.
As you can imagine, my glory was short lived. I realized that I could not hold the stack in the air indefinitely, and eventually was forced to let it come crashing down. Unfortunately for me (and my pride) I was not only working with too much weight, I was also seated backwards on the machine. The selector pin that held the weighted plates raked across my bowed back, gouging across my skin. I felt a shock of pain and immediately stifled the urge to throw up. The weights clanged to a stop and I yelled out before slumping to the floor in a sweat and a tremor. Not exactly the coolest thing ever.
The seasoned trainer immediately saw what had happened and made his way over to me. In a low, calm voice, he casually asked if I was alright. I stuttered that I was. Once assured, he asked if I would like him to show me how to do that exercise. When I agreed, he showed me as if I were one of his clients. Gratefully, I continued my workout under his watchful eye, determined to learn more about proper techniques.
- Offer support: The trainer could have stood by and done nothing. Instead, he took action and initiated support.
- Don’t be judgmental: The trainer did not laugh and point, he simply came over and helped me up as if nothing had happened. His graceful response helped me become comfortable in an embarrassing situation
- Act out of love: Though this was our first interaction, it was apparent that the trainer was interested in what was best for me. He did not want me to continue hurting myself, but wanted me to grow and be healthy
- Continue to care: Especially after this event, the trainer always made sure I didn’t have any questions when I came in to the gym. Without making me feel singled out, he managed to communicate his ongoing interest in my welfare
The story I tell mimics what can often happen in our “spiritual lives”. Much like a young boy driving by the gym, there often comes a time in our lives when we have a desire to see “what’s in there” for us. What, if anything, does God have in store for our life? It may be that we have “tried God already” and were disappointed with the results. Or maybe, we put ourselves out there, we “bought the membership” and were hurt by the words or actions of someone that may even include one of "His people."
Whatever your situation, be encouraged! God has an incredible plan for your life!* God is not concerned with your short term gains, but rather with your long-term commitment. God has your best interest in mind, better than you can even comprehend. And just like the weights themselves were not to blame for my injury, so the people of the church (any church) are not, in themselves, God. They do not indicate His love for you any more than my failure to use proper form that day was an indicator of the efficacy of exercise. The two simply do not correlate. Exercise performed correctly will produce marvelous results. A gathering of people truly seeking to glorify Christ will produce marvelous healing and love. One simply follows the other.
So what can we do to strengthen our spiritual lives and bless the lives of those around us? Simply this: Take the step, make the commitment, stand up with intensity, look life in the face, and FLEX! Flex the muscles of your compassion. Flex the muscles of grace and humility. Flex the muscles of “undeserved” forgiveness. You may not lift much at the start, you may even stumble or feel embarrassed. But in a similar manner to how exercise produces inevitable results, when we flex for God we will find that He honors our consistent seeking of His will. Your life will be forever blessed as long as you continue to take that step and FLEX!
- Take the step – Once you know something is what you want to do, take the first step. Don’t expect roadblocks, but don’t be surprised by them either. All we are called to do is continue to put one foot in front of the other as we move in the direction we are led.
- Make the commitment – Let loved ones know about the steps you are taking. By making your commitment public and asking for their help (should you need it) you create a built in support system for the achievement of your physical and spiritual goals.
- Stand up with intensity – So many times we have not made headway towards our goals because we have simply not given enough effort. Make sure that you are giving your all when you know that you are moving toward something of value.
- Look life in the face – Be aware of what is going on around you. Listen to what others are going through. We are able to help most easily when we live with an outward focus of our love (instead of focusing on ourselves, a “self-centered” focus).
- Flex the muscle of your compassion – We never know the effect that our attitudes or gestures can have on a person who is in need of God’s love. By focusing on the compassion of Christ and His good works in our lives we can reach others with that same message.
- Flex the muscles of grace – Grace requires awareness and empathy. Being able to feel what another person might feel in order that you may treat them in the most loving way often takes practice. Call on the backdrop of your own experiences to help forgive and heal others.
- Flex the muscles of humility – All our gifts come from our Creator. We may have worked hard to get specific things that we have today, but our ability to work hard was something that was given to us. We don’t control the environment we were born into, we don’t control our genetics. There are so many things that are outside of our control, it would be silly to take prideful credit for any of it. We shouldn’t take credit for it, but we SHOULD be thankful for it and to Him. This thankfulness is the first step in living a life of healthy humility.
- Flex the muscles of undeserved forgiveness –Both the Bible (and our own lives) teach us that no matter who we are, we all make sinful mistakes. The good news of the Bible is that God loves us and wants the best for us despite ANY mistake that we make. No matter what we have done, if we come to Him in repentance, we are forgiven! Let this knowledge empower you to forgive others, just like God has forgiven you.
*Jer 29:11: "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
ON-LINE COMMUNITY NETWORK Do you flex compassion and grace with others at the gym or on the team? If so, how? If not, would you like more support so that you can? Registered readers can share their experiences and ask questions about this topic in our on-line community network – our forums. Experience the faith and fitness community now.
