I recently did something that I never thought would happen...or at least not any time soon. I cut my workout days back from 5 days per week to 4. Now I know for some people who aren't as into working out as I am, that doesn't sound like a big deal. But excluding vacations and days to rest before races, I have honestly worked out at 5AM (or earlier) almost every weekday since February 2010. My fitness and training was, and probably still is, an addiction.
And I honestly wasn't sure how I would handle not training that one day of the week. I assumed that I would be sluggish, that it would mean I was lazy, and that I would instantly get weaker and fatter. But none of that happened. Actually, I feel more refreshed throughout the entire week and haven't noticed any drastic changes in my strength or size so far.
For someone who had always lived by the mantra that the more effort and work you put in, the more results you will get - how could I rationalize only going to the gym 80% of the time I used to but not seeing a drop off physically? I couldn't. But something kept telling me that it was the right thing to do for now and I found affirmation in the verse below:
"So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day." - 2 Corinthians 4:16
Paul, the author of the above verse, knew it was like to live a life on mission for God, to face resistance and ridicule, and even to be persecuted and beaten. His passionate lifestyle had likely aged his body more than others. But his inner self, his spirit, was constantly being renewed. He may have had aches, pains, and a few wrinkles on the outside. But inside, he was growing in maturity like Christ and constantly being refreshed by the Lord's presence.
There are my days in my life that I have felt completely overwhelmed before 7AM in the morning. But now, there are more days that I have a peace that I cannot explain - days when I'm running behind and have more "to-do's" than I do hours that just a sense of peace doesn't allow me to get rattled and I know it's not my own doing. Whenever I stayed studied up and prayed up, it takes much more to rattle me or get me off kilter. While I have likely seen my physical peak and already surpassed that moment of being in the "best shape of my life," I can find peace in knowing that one day, this body won't matter anymore but rather my soul will be of the most importance. And in that, I can find peace and look forward to hitting my spiritual prime at just the right the time.
"So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day." - 2 Corinthians 4:16
Paul, the author of the above verse, knew it was like to live a life on mission for God, to face resistance and ridicule, and even to be persecuted and beaten. His passionate lifestyle had likely aged his body more than others. But his inner self, his spirit, was constantly being renewed. He may have had aches, pains, and a few wrinkles on the outside. But inside, he was growing in maturity like Christ and constantly being refreshed by the Lord's presence.
There are my days in my life that I have felt completely overwhelmed before 7AM in the morning. But now, there are more days that I have a peace that I cannot explain - days when I'm running behind and have more "to-do's" than I do hours that just a sense of peace doesn't allow me to get rattled and I know it's not my own doing. Whenever I stayed studied up and prayed up, it takes much more to rattle me or get me off kilter. While I have likely seen my physical peak and already surpassed that moment of being in the "best shape of my life," I can find peace in knowing that one day, this body won't matter anymore but rather my soul will be of the most importance. And in that, I can find peace and look forward to hitting my spiritual prime at just the right the time.
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