“Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air.” 1 Corinthians 9:26
It was a BEUUUUTIFUL spring morning. The sun was beaming down and all creation was singing the glory and wonders of Earth and sky…seemingly. I was doing what I like to do most, by silently sitting there taking it all in and then talking to and thanking God for all His blessings. For me, it doesn’t get much better than that. Then I saw HIM…running up the road…beating the air like it was his archenemy!
It’s not that I am condemning or judging. It’s just that there couldn’t be 2 more polarizing opposites under heaven! I was sitting there, relaxed, at peace with God and full of joy. This guy was all tensed up, angrily running nowhere in particular! His fists pounded the air as if landing blows upon a foe attempting to punch HIS ticket! As sweat poured from his body and soaked his shirt, I thought…”that’s FAR too much work for me!” So I smiled, waved and then turned around to face the opposite direction!
Lately I have been seen with my wife pushing heavy stuff around a gym. SHE decided that we had better get in better shape in our older age so we won’t end up living like invalids…a burden on family and society. My Doctor gave me just enough encouragement, after a physical, to make her crazy words seem logical. So we go. But I don’t like it! Even though new friends at the gym encourage and cheer me on, I have to admit that I only go there because I HATE the thought of my life actually becoming ‘in-valid!’
I know a guy named Paul who, during his lifetime, felt the same way I do. Though he’s a LOT more famous than me, we still share the same best friend named Jesus! Paul and I also share a favorite pastime together, setting alone while talking to God and pondering the REAL meanings of life! He liked to write too! Though much of his work was done in a prison and often in chains (showoff!). He actually wrote much of the New Testament! The Bible verse today is HIS quote!
I wasn’t looking for a metaphor for 2 differing kinds of lifestyles when I saw that shadowboxing jogger. But I did see him. At the time, the ‘high-five’ nudge from my best friend was kind of like looking at a scale, after watching what I eat and pushing some weight around! After the wonder comes the actual realization that, “Hey!!! This really works!”
I STILL don’t put much stock in bodily exercise. Because my friend Paul ALSO wrote, “for bodily training is just slightly beneficial, but godliness is beneficial for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” 1 Timothy 4:8 NASB. I may not look like an Olympian on the outside. But inside my heart, with my best friend showing me how, I am contentedly and joyfully magnificent!
How do YOU see things?
