Stretch those muscles

Since December I've been working out "semi-regularly" at the local gym. My sons have been coaching and encouraging me to push through, even on tough days. Traveling last week, the hotel "gyms" didn't offer the same machines I use. I was a fish out of water and, honestly, I gave up.

Monday, my younger son and I went back to our gym. Funny thing! Those machines welcomed me back warmly. Okay -- not so warmly. I went through my routine but quickly realized that just one week away left me a bit weaker than I had been before the trip. Sigh! All that hard work gone in a week. Really?

Not quite.

Sure, Monday was tough. The muscles groaned and complained. I couldn't lift, push, or pull as much as I had before the trip. But, I sure could do more than my very first trip to the gym. Honestly, I was able to do a lot more than I did the whole month of December. YAY!!! I slipped a bit, but I didn't fall back all the way.

Stretching our spiritual muscles is a lot like working out at the gym. If we don't attend church regularly, open the Bible at home, or pray, we won't grow spiritually. As Paul wrote in Hebrews, though we should be teachers, we need to be taught the elementary truths of God's word over and over again. We need milk, not solid food. (Hebrews 5:12)

Is that really what we want to be? Of course not.

To grow our spiritual muscles, we should be in church, read God's word -- prayerfully, asking Him to show us what we need to learn to grow, and pray. And those days when we just can't find the time -- or for some reason we just aren't comfortable? Don't give up.

Like my son pushed me back into the gym, get back to church. Dust off that Bible. Wear out those knees in prayer. Whatever it takes! You'll surprise yourself -- the lessons you learned will come back. Your spiritual muscles might hurt a bit, but not as much as you think.

Bottom line: Jesus loves you. Even if you haven't talked to him in years, He loves you!

Happy stretching!!!