We recently bought a Nordic Track elliptical exercise machine. It has all the bells and whistles including a built in fan. This machine has a computer that has multiple programs that enable you to work out various parts of you body as well as difficulty settings customizable by the user. Along with a resistance setting and an incline/decline setting it has handles that read your heart rate.
Being that it has been some time since I last exercised. I decided to give it a whirl and see how much I could take. I hit the button that enabled the cardiac arrest program and started on my journey. The first two minutes were fine no sweat! However I was soon to find that I was mistaken if I thought the whole work out was going to be a piece of cake!
You see on the computer module there is a read out that shows how many minutes are left in the work out, and how far you have walked or ran, and what your heart rate is. Every so often words would pop up….Pedal Faster or Focus on upper body or lower body depending where you where in that program.
Five minutes into the 30 minute program I realized I was not as young as I once was. The screen read pedal faster! I was thinking ok I can do this! I started pedaling faster my legs and arms were burning. After 2 minutes of this a new command was given …..Now pedal backwards! At this point I was out of breath sweating and thinking this might ease my pain a bit being that I was about to use new muscles in my legs.
I was wrong this pedal backwards thing was the most horrible thing I have experienced in a long time!!! It was almost as if I had purchased a mid-evil torture machine with a built in computer!!! I was dieing and it was telling me to pedal faster! I kept thinking that I have to finish this so I can build stamina! Quitting the work out would do me no good.
So I endured for the whole 30 minutes. My body felt like a gelatinous blob by the time I was done. I was drenched with sweat. However I felt great and there was a great sense of accomplishment. I finished the race and didn’t quit even though I was tired and out of shape. I think of my spiritual walk this way as well. We often tire and feel like we can’t go on. Then we get that second wind that gives us the strength to finish.
The holy spirit is that read out that tells us to pedal faster or to pedal backward. It keeps us in line with the parameters of the work out and makes sure we don’t fall behind. If we give up we gain nothing, but if we endure till the end. Satisfaction and reward await us. How many times have we fallen short of the goal? As sinners we fall short every time. By the Grace and sacrifice of Jesus Christ each and every goal is met. Never loose heart and pedal as hard as you can, because in the end you will find the reward is far greater then the pain endured to receive it.
You see on the computer module there is a read out that shows how many minutes are left in the work out, and how far you have walked or ran, and what your heart rate is. Every so often words would pop up….Pedal Faster or Focus on upper body or lower body depending where you where in that program.
Five minutes into the 30 minute program I realized I was not as young as I once was. The screen read pedal faster! I was thinking ok I can do this! I started pedaling faster my legs and arms were burning. After 2 minutes of this a new command was given …..Now pedal backwards! At this point I was out of breath sweating and thinking this might ease my pain a bit being that I was about to use new muscles in my legs.
I was wrong this pedal backwards thing was the most horrible thing I have experienced in a long time!!! It was almost as if I had purchased a mid-evil torture machine with a built in computer!!! I was dieing and it was telling me to pedal faster! I kept thinking that I have to finish this so I can build stamina! Quitting the work out would do me no good.
So I endured for the whole 30 minutes. My body felt like a gelatinous blob by the time I was done. I was drenched with sweat. However I felt great and there was a great sense of accomplishment. I finished the race and didn’t quit even though I was tired and out of shape. I think of my spiritual walk this way as well. We often tire and feel like we can’t go on. Then we get that second wind that gives us the strength to finish.
The holy spirit is that read out that tells us to pedal faster or to pedal backward. It keeps us in line with the parameters of the work out and makes sure we don’t fall behind. If we give up we gain nothing, but if we endure till the end. Satisfaction and reward await us. How many times have we fallen short of the goal? As sinners we fall short every time. By the Grace and sacrifice of Jesus Christ each and every goal is met. Never loose heart and pedal as hard as you can, because in the end you will find the reward is far greater then the pain endured to receive it.
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