My youngest son, Silas, is all boy. Wants to wrestle. Wants to play in the dirt. Wants to sword fight with sticks. And wants to play Legos… oh does he love him some Legos. I’m so grateful for those Danish geniuses, even if the razor sharp edges give my feet nightmares. Legos challenge both lobes of the brain, yet are fun for kids and parents alike.
Often times, Silas will ask, “Daddy, do you want to play with me?”
“Sure buddy, what do you want to do?” I’ll respond.
“We could play Legos?”
“That works for me.” Then off we go into his room to build something, destroy something, or engage in an epic battle.
Here is what’s especially interesting. Shortly into our time together, Silas will say, “Here… I’ll do it.”
Or “Can you not play with that?”
And the ever popular “Can I have that back?”
I genuinely believe Silas wants me to play with him, but he wants me to play with him his way. He doesn’t want me to have too much input or control. He wants me with him, just off to the side.
Our fitness can be the same way, can it not? We might pray, “God will you be with me in my fitness journey?” Or “Will you help me honor You with my body?”
Then, a few days later, God nudges us to rely on His strength to exercise. We respond, “That’s okay… I’ll do it out of mine,” and end up missing it.
He gently reminds us of some healthy eating options, but we say, “Can you not do that?” as we eat something we probably shouldn’t.
If we are honest with ourselves, He gets involved in our fitness, but our actions say, “Can I have it back?”
We often don’t want what He has planned for our fitness journey. We want our fitness our way. Essentially, we want Him with us, but off to the side.
We often don’t want what He has planned for our fitness journey. We want our fitness our way. Essentially, we want Him with us, but off to the side.
In a letter to the church in Ephesus, Paul famously writes “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,” (Ephesians 3:20).
Wouldn’t you love for the Holy Spirit to do “immeasurably more than all we ask?” He can, but we need to be obedient to that power at work within us. His power, not ours.
For His glory, not ours, as Ephesians 3:21 goes on to say.
In order to be truly transformed, we have to rely on the power of the Holy Spirit in us. But we can’t rely on that power if it’s off to the side any more than a car can rely on gas that’s still in the pump.
So if you have invited God into your fitness, that is a wonderful first step. He delights in being with you, just as I delight in being with Silas.
But it doesn’t stop there. God wants to be involved.
He wants to be participating in the process, not on the sidelines watching.
He wants to be the power you rely on to bring Him glory.
He wants to do immeasurably more.
After all, only He can.
HAVE YOU INVITED GOD IN? IF SO, ARE YOU RELYING ON HIS POWER AT WORK WITHIN YOU? IF NOT, WHY NOT? MAYBE WE CAN HELP?