Lately I’ve been trying to get in shape. With a combination of exercise and cutting back on my calorie intake, I have actually managed to shrink down at least one belt loop and tighten up a few muscles here and there. Another benefit of this focus on physical fitness is my improved stamina and ability to run, walk and generally do active stuff for a lot longer before getting tired.
When one makes an effort to improve their bodies, the results mentioned above are to be expected. With a decent amount of willpower and plain old hard work, a person can make a big difference in how their clothes fit and how they feel. My workouts and cutting back on food have, in other words, produced some pretty normal results. They have also created a highly unexpected result as well.
Working out is, well, hard work. It also results in a certain amount of stiffness and pain the following day. Again, a normal expected result. The unexpected part of this, however, is that rather than lessen my desire to go at it hammer and tongs, my physical discomfort actually increased my will to workout.
You read correctly. The aches and pains I feel after a good workout make me want to repeat what I did before. In fact, it’s the only way to satisfy them. Not relieve them, but satisfy them. The stiffness and soreness are like happy invitations to push, pull, lift, stretch and run once again. As strange as it may seem, rather than being uncomfortable and inconvenient, muscle aches and twinges are now becoming a welcome by-product of getting in shape.
This is a good thing. It means that my workouts are not only having a positive result for my physical well-being, they are also becoming a welcome and anticipated part of my routine. It’s not that I’m looking for more aches and pains. It’s just that the exercise that causes the odd ache is creating its own incentive to keep going. Good things often do that.
That’s what happens when we have a good relationship with God. It’s self-renewing and energizing. When we move closer to God, it increases our desire to approach Him even more. When we serve Him in a way that’s natural and healthy, we want to repeat our effort with even more vigor. Whether it’s a loving act towards a neighbour, an experience of God’s holiness during worship, or simply an “Aha!” flash that gives us a bit more insight into God’s will, a good moment of faith is its own inspiration.
Of course that means we have to have those good moments. We have to put the effort in to get them going, to make them part of our routine, to build them into our life so that they are as natural to us as breathing. Once we do that, once we start working on our relationship with God, or increasing our service, or simply praying and worshiping a little more deeply, the effort soon melts into ease. The more we do for and with God, the more we want to do. Good things do that.
