Today I was thinking about exercise--one of the few things I come close to loathing. Some people seem to get a strange high out of beating up their bodies and sweating and smelling and aching. I don't. I've been looking into the BodyRock.tv "home workout movement" (something that a friend of mine is passionate about), and found myself wishing for an exercise program that wasn't so hard and so long, and that didn't hurt so much.
Guess what: nothing is going to change if it doesn't hurt.
The reason exercise hurts is because it's changing something inside your body. If I want to change the size of my biceps or the shape of my abs or the look of my legs, I've got to hurt first. If you're not hurting, you're not changing. Maybe exercise doesn't hurt you, but something has to (self-discipline, prioritization, donating time, sticking it out, growing).
One more thought, "We change our behavior when the pain of staying the same becomes greater than the pain of changing" (Henry Cloud). What do you want to change in your life, and how will it hurt to do that?
SO true. I've been thinking about this lately too - Guess it's time to just suck it up!
ReplyDeleteThat's a very interesting and thought provoking quote, I must say. I think, in answer to your question, what I want to change in my life (or have changed, as the case may be) is my heart and attitude. I think one has to be constantly seeking, surrendering and submitting oneself to God so that He can fully work in and through you. Part of that requires having a soft, gentle and mold-able heart, something that we cannot get in our own strength. That often means going through difficult circumstances and learning to rely on God.
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Claire
P.S Sorry if this answer is slightly off what you were aiming for, I need to exercise more too, but my answer above is what came to mind immediately after reading your post.
Thank you both for commenting! Claire, your thoughts fit perfectly into this. Despite what some might say, it's far from painless to submit oneself to God. Nearly everything within us rebels against it! It's a constant battle to remain broken and humble and to not rely on ourselves in difficult circumstances. Fight the good fight, girl!
ReplyDeleteAll the Best,
Abigail