No pain, no gain

Ok, so I didn't get up in time to make it to the 5:45 am Pilates class, BUT I still went and got in a good workout! I was there by 6:15 and had a great 45 min. of cardio and weight training. I will sleep good tonight! (Actually, I could do with a good nap right now!)

Anyway, my roommate and I were talking about workouts last night and I mentioned that the pain I was experiencing was good pain. I like this kind of pain. It lets me know that I'm working muscles that haven't been worked in a while and that if I keep at it, I will see a difference. As I was thinking about working out and physical fitness this morning, I was reminded of my spiritual fitness.

How many times in life do we experience pain in our walk with Christ? I'm not talking about those external circumstances which bring pain and sorrow. No, I'm talking about the pain that comes from growing in Christ - giving up an old habit or perception in order to have a mind more like Christ. Or how about those times when you're in the Word and, just like it says it would do, the Word becomes a mirror to reflect back to you the sin that is in your life? Yeah, you know what I'm talking about. Just like when we work muscles that have lain dormant for far too long, when we work our spiritual "muscles" there is some amount of pain that comes. It's that old self dying.

So...we should rejoice! Right? I hear the half-hearted replies: "sure...oh yeah, of course..." I'm with you! To be honest, I haven't rejoiced when God is working those things out of me. In fact, I get down right mad. I don't want to think that I need to be "fixed" or that my spritual life is "out of shape" - although I know good and well it is! (At least it's not as good as it could be!)

As I commit to working on my physical body, I'm going to refocus on my spiritual side as well. As I experience the pain and discomfort of tired and sore muscles and the pain of giving up things to "have the same mind that was in Christ Jesus", I will remind myself of the title of this post......"No pain, no gain!"