So Sore

As a man, we don't like to admit we are weak. But man I got my backside kicked this past Sunday. My beautiful wife gets up early every morning to faithfully workout. She is a Beachbody coach, and she pushes herself. She has been faithfully working out for probably 3 years now. I, on the other hand, am a half-hearted triathlete. Which means that her workouts are very different from mine.

Suffice it to say, she works out her entire body weekly, and I do very repetitious exercises for long durations to build endurance. She is strong. I am strong at three specific movements. At her pleading, I have tried to do more strength training, but it is very irregular. 

This past Sunday as my wife arose at 5:30 AM or so to work out she asked me to join her. I did. To my despair it is Wednesday and I am still sore, very sore! This is what her workouts do to me. For her, it's nothing! Its hard yes, but she is not sore like I am. This makes me feel like a soft man rather than a strong man. I think a very valuable lesson can be taken from this. Change it up! Keep things fresh. Don't get stuck in the rut of same old, same old. 

Same goes for your Spiritual life. Don't get stuck in a rut. Consistency is very important. But that consistency doesn't have to mean you do the same spiritual workout all the time. Yes, have a regularly scheduled meeting with God. Varying that meeting can bring fresh life to your devotions. If you don't keep it fresh you might get bored and wander off.  

To change it up, try reading a different book of the Bible. Read them fast or slow. Read them through in one sitting and then slowly after that. Read the Bible as you pray.  Pray in different ways.  Kneeling, standing, singing, journaling.  But keep it fresh. God is big and diverse, yet always the same. To think that there is only one way for us to have a devotional relationship with Him is a small picture of a big God. 

The important thing is that you... "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."

Matthew 6:33 (NKJV)