3wks -- How That Time Can Make or Break You

By now you must have heard my story (I think I have exhausted it on this blog by now) about how I missed three weeks of gym and lost 6.6lbs of muscle mass. Still hurts me to this day, but I think I'm done moping about it.

Wait! *mopes a little more* 'kay, I'm done now :)

It's not even like I didn't go because I wanted to, I just didn't have the money. When I did get money, I returned, with new vigor and energy and determination that I would regain the poundage I lost!

OH HOW I WAS WRONG!

After about the equivalent of 3 weeks, and a noticeable enough increase in my muscle size, I went and rechecked my weight. Much to my dismay, I only gained 1 (ONE, UNO) pound.

You know who was crestfallen again! ------>

(You're probably thinking--"OH MY GOD! He's telling this story AGAIN!!! *ugggggghhh* When will he get over himself?!") If you thought that...
:( you're mean!

AND! you're also wrong >:P
There is a point to this. Walk with me here.

_________________________________________________________________________________

I thought about my dilemma from a spiritual standpoint. Here's the message:

Much like me and my bible reading effort this year, (see my earlier blog post about this), I started out strong with the gym. I think I was about 179 when I first weighed, and went up to 183.6 after 3 weeks. However, due to circumstances (money in this instance), I fell off track.
(Btw, I'm still tryna figure out what went wrong with my bible reading. I'll get back to you on that.)

After renewing my focus and energy (and substance in my bank account), I went back to the gyym, determined to regain what I had lost. This went all well and good until I found out I didn't quite get there.

Many times in our Christian walk, we fall off track, due to lack of money, lack of friends, of a job--something. Reasons vary for everyone. If we're sincere about our walk with God, at some point we realize, 'Hey, I need to get back on track!" and attempt to get back to where we used to be.

Gym-wise (for me), and life-wise (for all of us), I think this is where we often go wrong. We try to get back to exactly where we were before, when in truth; though that place is most likely better than the rut we've found ourselves in, we ought to be pressing even further forward. Yes it's good that I used to read 3 chapters of the bible daily, but even though going back there would be good, I need to find a way to do that and more to better my relationship with God.

If like me, you return (to gym, to God--to anything) with the focus being getting back to right where you were before, if you don't get to that place, you will feel absolutely deflated and feel like you should just forget about the whole thing and just nuh bodda wid it. I surely felt like that with the gym, so much so, I haven't gone back and I'm currently content with being quintessentially skinny as one of my good friends would say.

It can't be this way with God. There is one supreme outcome that we should seek to gain from our relationship with Him and that is to go to heaven. Fine. (And even this isn't attained on our own accord). But, if you're on a mission to serve Him only to get:
- a job
- a girlfriend if you're a guy or boyfriend if you're a girl
- an answer to some serious issue you may have
- ANYTHING!!!

then it naa guh wuk! Straight up and down.

The Christian walk is a journey, not a destination. We will reach various points of interest on the way, places that bring joy and happiness, and also several potholes, road blocks and traffic.
But, if your aim is to press towards the mark of the high calling in Jesus, nothing can or should stop us, no matter what disappointments we face. You may have been derailed for 3wks, maybe more, maybe less, but the gospel train is comin', so you and I need to get back on board! (video here)

On that note, I guess I oughta return to the gym :/

MAYBE

Definitely need to get back to praying and reading my bible AND quarterly AND other books like Ellen G. White and others. Let's not settle only for where we used to be, but let's return with renewed vigor, focus and an even deeper desire for a better relationship with God than the one we had before. Let the journey resume.