For many of you, this comes as no surprise. For the rest of you, believe me, it's the truth.
I was horrible at anything athletic.
The closest I came to team sports was one brief summer in Little League. That was a disaster; couldn't hit, couldn't run, couldn't pay attention (best draw the curtain on that right now).
And my situation wasn't for lack of others trying. I had older cousins who, seemingly, could do just about anything. They tried to teach me how to hold the bat without choking up, how to run from base to base ("No! Not that way!"), how to catch, and how to slide. I actually got pretty good at sliding. But the rest of it ...well.
That left PE ... the dreaded Phys-Ed.
Starting in the 7th Grade, my fellow students and I spent a portion of every other school day participating in a 40 minute version of whatever sport was in season. In the fall, we played football in PE (didn’t understand the rules, then, so I was always a Lineman ... better now thanks to Football for Dummies). In the winter, we played basketball (couldn't move and dribble; terrible shooter). On rainy days (for some reason), we played dodgeball (big and slow, easy target). And in the spring, we played baseball (see above) and/or track & field (still hate this).
All through this, we were subjected to a form of torture called "conditioning." And that is the part I hated the most: sit-ups, chin-ups, rope climbs, push-ups, and running up and down the bleachers. Imitating sports wasn't so bad: you got knocked down, you got up, you got knocked down again; simple. Exercising just to exercise? Madness.
Many of my friends from those years (all of us "back of the pack-ers"), would be shocked to see the changes in my life ... maybe especially the fact that I joined a gym, hired a trainer, and *gasp* paid for the privilege of doing physical conditioning! Yes, I actually paid someone to lead me through the very activities I hated for the six years I was required to take PE class.
Why, you may ask, did I do this? Spend two, three nights per week at a gym? The short answer is this: there were things I wanted to do —improve my health, lose weight, shape up— and I needed a coach’s insight to ensure I reached my goals. When I read this week's Lectionary passages, I saw a parallel between the Luke and Acts scriptures and all my times at the gym.
When I am working out, I am only focused on the moment; but my coach is thinking about all of it: where I've been; what I'm doing right then; how that activity, in concert with others the trainer has planned, moves me toward my objectives; and, of course, what's next.
It's kind of like that for the Apostles in those scriptures. They are told to expect someone who will serve as teacher and guide, someone who will help them achieve the goals set before them. They didn't know what was coming. But they believed the one who told them a helper would come. And they acted from within that belief.
Though I am no longer a gym rat, I’m still working out. And when I’m nearing the end of my treadmill time —and flagging— I can still hear the calm voices of my coaches from over the years: "You can do this. Just a bit more. Almost there." They knew what I was capable of; knew how much more I could bring to the task; knew how much more would be required of me before I could rest.
The Spirit is like that with us. When the going gets hard, we need to listen for that voice deep inside:
"You can do this. Just a bit more. Almost there."
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A somewhat different version of this reflection appeared in May 2012 as Conditioning.
PHOTO: Steve Orr
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READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
Seventh Sunday of Easter (June 2, 2019)
https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/texts.php?id=139
Acts 1:1-11
Psalm 47 or Psalm 93
Ephesians 1:15-23
Luke 24:44-53
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We're getting together Friday mornings at 8:00 at the Egg and I. If you're in Waco, join us for DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast. Great food, great Bible discussions, and great fellowship.
No sit-ups required.
Enjoy the week!
Steve
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