“Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will.” 1 Corinthians 9:25

O.K… I admit it. I HATE even the IDEA of working out, exercise or physical training for ANY reason. I have never done it for very long and when I tried, I was repulsed! So I quit! I think it may be because athletics never really called my name as a kid. And since, unlike with my kids, ‘working out’ never became a habit to me, I just don’t have it on my list of to-do’s.

My wife exercises. She got one of those ‘FitBit’ things a couple years ago and monitors her progress of steps like an EKG! I’ve seen her get in crazy in competitions with other family members because “they got more steps than me!” All I can think is.. so? They beat me EVERY DAY and I am not bothered! But SHE presses on and watches her FitBit daily! That is… until she lost it!

You’d a thought the world had come to an end! She tore our place apart looking for it. When I saw her level of passion, it spurred me on to help her look! When we didn’t find it, I manned up and ordered her a new one. But SURPRISE…. as soon as it arrived… she found the old one! THEN… for some CRAZY reason… I decided to see what the fuss was all about and strapped it on MYSELF! BAD move!

I SHOULD have seen it coming! At the end of a usual day for me, she fired of “The Question!” “So… how many steps did you get today?” The earth stopped! Playing a game, I ’made up’ some number! She scowled and cried out, “NO WAY!” She then gave me excuses as to WHY she didn’t get as many as me. It was REALLY funny because… deep inside… I didn’t care!

I never cared for today’s Bible verse either. I mean… the very MENTION of ‘athletic strict training’ turns me off. And since ‘working out’ isn’t in my DNA, I usually blow by it in a hurry. That is until I started to write this story. I discovered I have been ALL wrong!

I THOUGHT the verse dealt with working harder at ‘buffing up’ my Christian life. I was SHOCKED to discover it is NOT! The ESV Bible version clarifies when it says, “Every athlete exercises self-control in all things.” So…it has NOTHING to do with DOING MORE! It has EVERYTHING to do with doing LESS… since ‘self-control’ is the point. Which is STILL frustrating because I’m not prone to THAT EITHER!

So I guess ‘my’ FitBit is having an affect on me. I have found I walk a LOT more than I thought did, sleep less than need, and that my Biblical exegesis is not always perfect. How LONG I wear it remains to be seen, since self-control is a sore subject. But I DO realize I need to walk even MORE steps WITH Jesus to get to where HE wants me to be. Which isn’t really a bad thing after all! So…. who are YOU walking with?