My First Aerobics Class

Today I did something really stupid.  I joined Michelle this morning in an Aerobics Workout class at our local gym.  First time for everything right? 

There was all women in the room, except for me.  I thought it was going to be easy, and I also thought it was going to be short.  It was an hour of grueling, body breaking stuff!  I was working muscles I never thought I possessed.  I was so wiped out that I had to take a 5 minute break in the middle of the workout and leave the room to recuperate.  It was semi-embarrassing to walk out while the women rocked on.  Major props to every lady who does those classes.

From the get go I was feeling the burn.  I think the thing that got me the most was no longer having control over my workout.  Normally I could slow down and speed up at will, but this time the instructor was deciding the pace and the moves.  Truly, there's certain muscles you'll never work out unless you work with a trainer.

In the middle of all my huffing and puffing I got a spiritual concept.  1 Timothy 4:7-8 says "train yourself to be godly.  For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come" (NIV).  Part of our godliness comes by spiritual training that is homogeneous to the physical training of our bodies.

In the same way that we need physical trainers to help us go to the next level, we also need spiritual instructors (be it pastors, leaders, mentors or friends) to do so as well.  There are certain spiritual muscles we will never work out unless we submit ourselves to godly authority in our lives and do spiritual workouts and disciplines that we don't typically do.  It is only then that we will feel the "burn," of self and flesh breaking against the will of God.

Welcome to the class.