Resistance training

I was reading this article on Boundless.org yesterday, and it helped put a lot of things into perspective. First, I am where I am supposed to be, and I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing. No way to go but up.

Last semester a few of us went hiking to Raven's Rock. We reached the top, and then we hiked down to the bottom of the 40' cliff. At the bottom, I looked up. I could see handholds. I'd always wanted to climb that cliff, but I'd always been too scared. "God," I asked, "it's stupid, but I want to climb that cliff. Should I?" And I heard back, "Why not? Go ahead." So I climbed.

My friends shouted for me to come back down as I ascended. But I called down in annoyance, "Don't you see, I can't come back! I'll fall if I do, 'cause it's harder to climb down. I have to go up now."

One time I slipped down a few feet and had to stop to regroup. Another time I almost didn't find a handhold. After a quick prayer at each point, however, I discovered I could continue.

And what a rush at the top! Sweat-drenched, legs quivering... but to stand and look down at my friends and at the sunset... thrusting fists in the air, I screamed for sheer joy.

It's the same right now. No going back, because I'll fall. There's only up.

So yeah, back to the Boundless article. Its thesis is that any following of true vocation brings resistance with it. This only makes sense. The purpose of our lives is to glorify God by becoming more like Him. This happens through a refining fire, through suffering. So it stands to reason that the most fulfilling, deepest way to live would be to walk/run straight through the most difficult, stretching patches - not to avoid them.

Physical weightlifting is called resistance training. You push against the heaviest weights you can stand, which causes micro-tears in your muscles. When they heal, they heal stronger. The thing is, you achieve most of the benefits of weightlifting in the last few reps - at the point of failure. Everything up until those last few reps is only preparation.

When I was seventeen and a half, I decided I would begin an intense weightlifting program when I turned eighteen. I spent those months reading everything I could find about nutrition, cardio, and weights. I watched inspirational movies and read other people's stories. I visualized the sort of body I wanted to have. And I started learning the exercises. I wrote down the food I ate; I tried out the weights and began working myself in slowly.

All this was well and good, and I'm sure glad I did it. When I actually jumped into my program, I had all the tools at hand. Putting them all together in one place, however, took intense discipline. For several weeks, it was practically all I thought about - how and what to eat, when to exercise next, and how much I was aching. Worst of all, for the first four weeks or so I didn't see any huge changes in my physique.

After about a month, I realized something - I liked this! My muscles were growing used to their new tasks, and I was getting stronger. The interesting thing about the month watermark, though, is that it was time to switch up my exercises. Muscles get used to certain exercises, and so you have to shock them all over to help them get stronger again.

I learned other things. I strained various muscles, gave myself muscular imbalances, etc. But the point is, all this physical exertion translates into life as a whole. I had forgotten what it felt like. Or rather, I'd lost my vision. My goal. So all I could see was the pain.

God made me strong. I know there is a reason for it.

Edit: Additional thought. In exercising and maintaining the physical body, the saying goes, "You are what you eat." Without a proper nutrition base, you can absolutely sabotage your program.

The same goes for God's program of spiritual growth. We are what we eat. Therefore, in a time of spiritual stretching it is absolutely essential to feed on the Word. Anything else, and we will just break down further. Bible passages are the building blocks - the chicken breasts, egg whites, fruit, and veggies - of the soul.  ¶ 6:43 AM