Spiritual Workouts

 September 24, 2021

“I watch as the joggers as they go by,

Mile after weary mile.

Tell me, if jogging is so much fun,

Why don’t they ever smile?”

—Vern Bigler

This bit of doggerel by a former District Superintendent is proof that genuine faith is no enemy to wry humor. To me, it has a ring of truth. Runners talk about “runner’s high,” that point of exhilaration that comes at some point in a long run. I have to take their word for it; I’ve never experienced anything remotely exhilarating about running. That goes for most exercise. I know guys who get really pumped at the gym. Few of them consider me a friend.

I work out pretty regularly, aiming for about half an hour three times per week. This is laughable to the devotee of all things physical, but it’s better than I did thirty years ago. I do it, but can’t say I enjoy it; I do it because I know I need to if I want to actually live out whatever days I have left in this life. There are no guarantees, but my best shot at mobility and sanity into my nineties rests upon the habits and disciplines I build into my life now. A bit of non-enjoyment today goes a long way to paying me back by enjoyment years from now. It’s called delayed gratification.

I don’t expect to feel immediately stronger after a workout. Instead, I expect to be winded, and the next day or two, to be sore. Overall, it’s not a pleasant experience, but it has a pleasant long-term outcome, so I do it.

Spiritual disciplines are no different. I like it when I read my Bible and some bit of wisdom or insight leaps off the page into my heart, but that doesn’t often happen. It takes a real Biblical workout before I experience that strength, guidance, or forgiveness I need. Just as when I eat a meal, I don’t immediately feel stronger or more energized, I don’t skip my spiritual meals; doing so will soon starve my soul of the energy it needs for the challenges it faces. So I shun the fast-food non-nourishment of quickie drive-through devotional meals all prepackaged and served up with empty spiritual calories, and instead, dig in and work out. My soul thanks me, and I thank God.