I broke out an old workout DVD this morning. Years ago we were tight. So tight in fact, that I could almost do the workout by heart, narration and all. I knew exactly when the difficult parts were coming up. And there was the part I always looked forward to where the trainer says, “If you can’t do it, that’s ok. Just keep moving.” And like clockwork whether I can or I can’t, I take his words to mean he somehow approves of me not doing it. And I don’t. But hey, I keep moving. And that part where he smirks and asks, “Are you feeling it yet?” And when the people in the video give no response, he shows us no mercy and we all get punished and we have to keep going. And I get so mad at those people. And I yell at them. As if they can hear me.
So I pop in that video today and it’s just like riding a bike. I remember everything. And it’s just like Celine Dion belts out, “It’s all coming back it’s all coming back to me now-ow-ow.” And just like I remember, here comes the hard part. I’m listening but I am not watching. Because I’m on the floor doing a set of pushups. But these aren’t normal pushups. They are pushups on steroids. They are evil. It’s awful. So sweat is dripping down my face and my head is down. I’m not sure I can hear the voices anymore because the sound of my whining and whimpering is drowning out the sound on the TV. But I’m doing by best when my daughter walked in. She must have noticed what I was doing didn’t match what they were doing on the video when she asked, “Mommy, who are you following?”
Pause. What a choice of words. “Who are you following?”
I don’t know if you can relate, but when I work out I have heard things from the peanut gallery like, “Oh that’s so easy!” “I can do that!” And that’s just annoying. Can I get a witness? Here you are dying . . . Ok, that’s dramatic but you know what I mean. Here you are doing your absolute best only to hear, “You’re not doing it right” or “You should do it like this.” Its words like these that make me what to give up and say, “Ok, go ahead. You do it.” Either that or yell at somebody. Or both of those combined. Yea?
So I pop in that video today and it’s just like riding a bike. I remember everything. And it’s just like Celine Dion belts out, “It’s all coming back it’s all coming back to me now-ow-ow.” And just like I remember, here comes the hard part. I’m listening but I am not watching. Because I’m on the floor doing a set of pushups. But these aren’t normal pushups. They are pushups on steroids. They are evil. It’s awful. So sweat is dripping down my face and my head is down. I’m not sure I can hear the voices anymore because the sound of my whining and whimpering is drowning out the sound on the TV. But I’m doing by best when my daughter walked in. She must have noticed what I was doing didn’t match what they were doing on the video when she asked, “Mommy, who are you following?”
Pause. What a choice of words. “Who are you following?”
I don’t know if you can relate, but when I work out I have heard things from the peanut gallery like, “Oh that’s so easy!” “I can do that!” And that’s just annoying. Can I get a witness? Here you are dying . . . Ok, that’s dramatic but you know what I mean. Here you are doing your absolute best only to hear, “You’re not doing it right” or “You should do it like this.” Its words like these that make me what to give up and say, “Ok, go ahead. You do it.” Either that or yell at somebody. Or both of those combined. Yea?
“When you talk, do not say harmful things, but say what people need--
words that will help others become stronger.
Then what you say will do good to those who listen to you.”
Ephesians 4:29 || NCV
words that will help others become stronger.
Then what you say will do good to those who listen to you.”
Ephesians 4:29 || NCV
And that is exactly what her concerned words did for me. They didn’t make me want to give up. They were beneficial and caused me to look up. And when I did, I saw was that I was off track. I thought I knew what I was supposed to be doing. And truth be told, sometimes we can be doing our best, doing what we think we should be doing, every intention and motivation is on point but we get off track. And what we need are words--words that encourage; that build up and make us stronger. Words that cause us to pause and look up. To examine and re-evaluate and get back on track with the One we are following.