Muscle

With Wisdom to See God for what He truly is, we would have only peace

Saint John the Evangelist (Peter Paul Reuben)

Over the last few months I have started to do some more physical activity.

It seems that – since I turned forty instead of being able to eat whatever I like and do absolutely no exercise without gaining any weight at all, I now gain weight when I live an unhealthy lifestyle.

And this is problematic, because I am quite vain and have also become frustrated by feeling out of breath and weak and downright old.

So, I decided to start attending some exercise classes with my husband a couple of times a week.  When I first started, I was the weakest and the slowest member of the class – by far.

Everyone else was able to run faster, lift higher and maintain for longer than me.  Everyone else was also in superior physical condition than me.  It seemed that I had a very long way to go.  Exercises were modified for me and programs were adjusted.  Those who were interested in serious fitness goals avoided being in a team with me – because I really would slow them down.

It was really good for my husband’s marriage to partner with me in those classes, but terrible for his fitness, as I was slower and weaker than everyone else, and certainly slower and weaker than him.

But, I continued those classes each week and pushed through, even though I felt very inferior to everyone else at the gym.  One day when I wanted to quit early, a lovely girl in the class saw me standing beside the exercise bike and said, “What are you doing standing there.  Get back on.  You can do it.”  And another day, someone saw me stop after finishing three quarters of a run and said, “Great work Sarah.  You have done seventy-five percent now.  That’s a high distinction.”

And over time – though I am still very weak and slow compared with all the others – I have made some progress at the gym and can safely say that I am better and stronger than I used to be.

And I have been thinking about this today as I have been thinking about what is involved in my spiritual life.  You see, just as others in the class encourage the weaker ones, so too is it the job of the spiritually strong to encourage the spiritually weak.  And just as there are times when I felt so inferior that I wished to give up, so too do others feel their spiritual inferiority and come close to giving up.

But I have realised today that we each serve a purpose on the team…  Some of us to encourage and others as examples and still others to partner with the weaker ones and carry a little more of the burden themselves.  Because building muscles takes time, effort, dedication and quite a lot of support…

For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.