rock climbing rules

Spend your time and energy in training yourself for spiritual fitness. Physical exercise has some value, but spiritual exercise is much more important, for it promises a reward in both this life and the next. – Paul of Tarsus




here is your crash course in rock climbing:

1. Climb with your legs
2. Know your skill level
3. Don’t look down

Nicole and I never like to do the same things when we are on vacation, I like to explore and she likes to shop. I am all about going and she is all about lounging around the pool. Well after 3 years of marriage we had worked this out. On our third anniversary while she went shopping, I went rock climbing inside of a sports store. The rockwall that they had was about 60 feet tall.

Now let me start this story by saying that I was once in great shape. I swam, ran cross country and worked out everyday. The key word in the last sentence being once. I have long since traded in my weights for weight. My huge bulging muscles now… well put it this way I am bulging in other areas.

as I stood at the base of the rock...

...I had no doubt in my mind that I was as fit as ever. The instructor went over the climbing basics with me just one more time, then came the question. “Which level would you like to climb?” I took a quick assessment of my current situation and of course said, “Expert.” 

I must admit for the first 10 feet I was unbelievable. Then all of the sudden muscles that I didn’t even know that I had began to tighten up and hurt. I figured since my arms were stronger than my legs that I would just pull myself up, but after 20 feet of that I was very much out of breath. It was then, about half way up that I began to evaluate my current condition. I couldn’t figure out where I went wrong. My mind recalled all of the times that I had done much more athletic feats. 

yet this time was different...

I was out of shape, I was out of practice and I didn’t think that I could make it. It was then that I sealed my fate by looking down at the ground. It took one second for me to realize how high up I was and to get freaked out. So I gave up. I had them lower me down. With each foot that I was lowered my self-esteem also dropped. I took off the harness realizing that I had been beaten. 

Yeah of course I tried a couple of more times, but with the same results. Each time I was met with failure. But you see my failure was not the result of anything that had happened that day. No my failure began years before when I allowed myself to get out of shape. When I began to value laziness and overeating more than I did discipline and working out, I decided my own destiny. My progression into a sedentary lifestyle was slow. I didn’t even notice how far I had fallen, until that day.

how in shape are you spiritually...

Are you growing in your faith? Here is a better question, have you ever been closer to Jesus than you are right now? If that answer is yes then you are out of shape spiritually. Just like physically, getting spiritually lazy happens over time. It may have begun with just missing your daily time with Jesus for a week, but then you began to miss church here and there, and finally you weren’t really into the whole Christianity thing anymore. Now when the enemy attacks your sword is dull and rusted and temptation overtakes you. When the hard times hit you are lost as to how to respond. Mostly importantly when it comes to ministering into the lives of others you are not even concerned.

As believers it is important for us to be at the top of our game. There will always be attacks from the enemy and there will also be people that need the hope that we have. When we slack in the area of spiritual fitness it is as if we put on blinders to the real world around us.

if you want to be like Jesus...

...to get inside of his mind, there is one thing that you are going to need. You need to be alive and awake. It is time to wake up from your spiritual sleep. It is time to seek God again with all of your heart. It is time to make growing closer to Jesus and serving Him, your top priority. If you don’t, then know that there will come a day when your faith will be tested and you will be ill-prepared for the challenge. If you don’t then know that people around you are missing out on the hope that you have within. 

So today start fresh. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Work out your spirit, trim the fat and strengthen your heart. You are needed by the King of the universe to compete in a race that has an eternal reward. So run the race, fight the fight and win the prize. Every rep in the spiritual weight room, sends out shockwave that makes the enemy tremble and let’s the hurting know that there is hope.

Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. Remember therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it and repent. - Jesus Christ

Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. – Paul of Tarsus