An Exercise in Faith

Well, it’s my fault. I put it out there and now I should not be surprised that I am getting questions about it. People want to be happy for me. They expect to hear about results and so they ask. Do you want to know how the gym is working for me too? Here goes, since beginning the Juggling Act in January I have been to the gym 4x per week (except for going out-of-town once). Each session lasts approximately two hours. I get 2-4 miles of cardio each time plus three times a week I do circuit training. I’ve been working, sweating, stinking, and cramming this exercise time into my already busy schedule.

Now you want to know my schedule? For starters, I home school two children. This year our subjects include but aren’t limited to composer and orchestral study, art appreciation, poetry, ancient Greece, Bible, supplemental History, cooking, science, Spanish, spelling, sewing, literature, math, reading, and grammar. By the way, I put my own curriculum together. In addition to those responsibilities I am primary laundress, cook, nutritionist, school secretary, counselor, gardener, janitor, event planner, and once a year I’m even the Easter Bunny. Please, don’t tell my kids, they don’t know yet.

Have you noticed that I have still managed to evade the information you seek? According to the scale I have lost no weight...nothing. I have noticed no redistribution. I still have to hold my breath when I zip that freshly washed pair of jeans. But, I do have some good news to report. Firstly, that run-over-by-a-truck feeling that I used to feel the next morning has gone. Secondly, I’ve finally arranged the schedule to better accommodate this lifestyle and now I’m not as stressed as I was. Thirdly, I found the sauna. Lastly, I no longer feel nauseated by the exertion of dips and pull ups. As you can see, I’ve found many blessings to count even if I haven’t noticed the typical weight loss that one expects when exercising faithfully.

I could feel discouraged by not seeing results, but discouragement is not profitable. Since I’m under contract for the next year I’ll go four times per week as much as I’m in town regardless. It doesn’t matter that I’m tired, busy, or that my body isn’t morphing into what it was at age seventeen. You see, I’ve made up my mind. Simply doing what I’ve set out to do gives me the opportunity to exercise spirit as well as the body. It’s called Faithfulness. Faith is not synonymous with belief. It’s not enough to believe that I ought to get exercise four times a week. In order to be faithful I must actually do the exercise. Belief happens in the mind. Faith mostly happens in the body. Faith is a belief that motivates us to action. Faith always causes change. In my personal Bible I have underlined every place in the great chapter of faith where there is an action that was caused by faith. If you are trying to teach subjects and verbs this would be a great chapter to have your student practice on. It’d also be good for math because there’s a bunch of action verbs to count. Frankly, I lost track of them; but, all of the academics that could be learned from Heb. 11 is beside the point. The point is that as Christians we have a rich heritage of faithful people and the things they DID because of that faith.

What are we going to do about it? Heb 12:1 advises we “run with endurance the race that is set before us, laying aside every weight and sin.” The only way we’ll do that is to “look to Jesus…who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross.” What are we willing to endure for the joy that is set before us?

I’m willing to faithfully endure the sweat, extra laundry, loss of time, and loss of money that comes from fully participating in the gym. What is the joy set before me? Why am I doing this? I don’t know. I guess I hope that I’ll be somewhat healthier. I put roughly 10 hours of hard labor each week into a vague expectation from all of this exercising. Yet, our true joy as described in the Bible is not vague. It is certain and WONDERFUL. How much more ought I invest in godliness which is not only profitable in this lifetime, but in the next (1 Tim 4:8).