GYMNOS – Fitness Scenarios for Self-Examination
Gymnos is the Greek origin of our modern-day word Gym. It means “naked.” GYMNOS articles in Faith & Fitness Magazine are designed to help you challenge your thinking. In the literal sense, when you are naked in the locker room there is nothing to hide. That makes most people uncomfortable. Use this scenario to get naked spiritually—be honest, transparent, undisguised and willing to be totally open with yourself and others.
Recently I was working out at the gym and I happened to see a friend of mine, Brandon, who I hadn’t seen at the gym in about a month or so. We talked about what had been going on and how he was doing. During the course of our conversation Brandon said that he was going to “hit the weights hard” because he had visited with an old friend from back home, and while they caught up the friend said, “You look like you’re getting smaller.”
Now for a lady, that might be one of the greatest compliments she could ever hear; but for a man that spends up to 90 minutes a day – five days a week – lifting weights that’s not exactly what he wants to hear. Not only that, but Brandon happens to be one of the biggest and strongest guys in the gym. In fact, I look at Brandon and wonder what it would take for me to get to that level. Yet here he was, contemplating what he could change about his workout routine so that he wouldn’t look “smaller”.
It was then that it hit me, “Does Brandon really believe that he’s getting smaller? Is he really forgetting that his biceps are the size of my head? I know I wonder whether or not I’m getting any bigger, but Brandon? Really??” I found it interesting that the one guy that happens to look like a Greek god was wrestling with the notion that his chiseled muscles had suddenly failed him by decreasing in mass. I mean, if any person should be confident in their physique it’s this guy; yet something as simple as a 6-word sentence could undermine all that he has worked hard for. This got me thinking, “He’s not alone. I can be the same way too. And I know that there are others who struggle with the same thing.” It’s like our confidence and self-esteem is so shallow; we’re so insecure of ourselves that months, and even years, of hard work and dedication can come crumbling down because of a simple statement. Is Brandon really getting smaller? Probably not; but the reality is that even he is vulnerable when it concerns his appearance and self-esteem.
In what ways do you find yourself wrestling with the issues that Brandon has?
– How has something that someone else has said about your physique affected you? Negatively? Positively?
– Why do you think we give so much credence to the words and statements of others even if we know they are untrue?
– What does it reveal about you when you place your confidence, or self-esteem, in what others think?
*All characters in this scenario are fictional. Any similarity to an actual person is coincidental.
