I'm not too fond of exercise, and I've always maintained that I'm built for love, not exercise. But at the beginning of the year I said to myself: "Self, you can't go on like this." Quite piously I added: "The Bible says you must look after your body." I had to find a way to get this lump of a body going, but how and with what? One thing I found out long ago is that I'm not a long-distance kind of guy. I simply cannot motivate myself long enough to run another step or pedal another metre on the bike. It feels as if I had been working for hours, but not even breaking out in a sweat - and I measure exercise in litres of sweat produced.
Then I remembered that I used to play squash at university and my wife and I set off for the squash courts. Only to find out that we no longer have those trim and lean student bodies of 20 years ago. In my mind's eye I saw two little elephants in pink ballet shoes twirling around arms sweeping through the air. It did sound like it as we stormed around the court, crashing into the walls and even ungracefully rolling across the floor a couple of times. Sopping wet the two of us stumbled off the court after 15 minutes, tired, but quite satisfied with all the sweat. After half an hour's rest we walked back to the car very excited about having rediscovered this sport. We are going to get our bodies into shape and we decided to exercise three times a week.
For three months we stayed motivated and conscientiously practised three times a week. Well done, man! We felt so good about our new lifestyle.
But suddenly a lot of other things cropped up and for two weeks we didn't touch a racket. I was really down in the dumps. I had become unfit again and we had to start all over. How could I have allowed three months' exercise to disappear down the drain?
For one reason or another we had gone in other directions and not taken the road to the squash courts.
Worst of all, we did all those other things for the past two weeks for good reasons.
Our relationship with God often goes like this as well. There are so many explanations for having gone in the other direction rather than meeting with Him quietly. Does this sound familiar?
Today we have been stopped in our tracks and confronted with the question: In which direction are you going? I have so many reasons for being here, just like all the good explanations we had for not getting to the squash court these past two weeks. There's always a reason! But the warning is clear today: 1-2Friends, let me go over the Message with you one final time- this Message that I proclaimed and that you made your own; this Message on which you took your stand and by which your life has been saved. (I'm assuming, now, that your belief was the real thing and not a passing fancy, that you're in this for good and holding fast.)
How many time has God called me, called us, to go in the right direction and how many times, sometimes n tears, have we stumbled back to God saying how sorry we are? Then we promise earnestly: Never again, Lord. But soon we're calmly going in the other direction.
Simple message: Be on the lookout! Be on your guard! Keep going! Walk towards God! That is the only direction you should go!
Reflection
Which things do you do that makes you go in any other direction than towards God?
What prevents you from getting up an hour earlier to be busy with the matters of God?
Is there something that you want to tell God?
Which plan of action do you have in order to go in the direction of God?
Cross-references
1 Corinthians 15: 1-6
Prayer
Our Father, You are the only way. Any other way is simply not good. I know that real peace and happiness is found only with You. When we live within your will for our lives, we will meet You. But we often choose to go the wrong way. Help me Father, to keep practising to go in your Direction. Amen
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