I love our new home for various reasons. The increase in square feet allows for all to
have a personal space, but also leaving opportunity to come together and enjoy
family time. The yard provides grounds
for baseball playing, running around with the puppy and less intense mowing
conditions than our previous land. Our
flat driveway serves as a basketball court with which I dominate each family
member. ;-) MY kitchen gives much space to cook to my
heart’s desires and hear all about the children’s school day over afternoon
snacks.
On the flip side (you know, the half empty glass
perspective). . .more square foot = more floors to mop/vacuum + stairs. With the basement complete, much activity
takes place downstairs. Laundry chores
begin in the basement and ultimately end up on the second floor (2 flights of
stairs to carry loads of clothes). The
second fridge in the basement allows for extra storage and reason to walk the stairs
to gather needed items. The land setup requires
push mowing.
My legs and lungs disagree with such stair climbing and push
mowing. My arms and OCD mentality
dislike the increase in square feet. I
find endurance through completion of work to be minimal. The physical strength encompassed by my body
remains obsolete.
The endurance, strength and motivation continue to
decrease. I find it difficult to climb
all the stairs while holding laundry. I
even stop midway to allow legs to rest and lungs to breathe. When mowing for the first time this year, I
stopped every other swipe to regain composure.
I know the facts and reason behind such moments. My body needs strengthening, conditioning as
well as rest. Yet, I can run a 5K
without difficulty or sore muscles post run. What gives?
Well, a very smart lady explained it as such: ‘Your body is
used to running and the muscles required for such intense exercise work well because
of strength built upon use. Endurance
and resistant exercise/activity is foreign to your body explaining the
difficulty experienced. Change up
exercise routine to build muscle, strength and endurance rather than aerobic
activity.’
Makes complete sense!
Along this journey (which continues until we meet our Maker) to health,
I have found another area pretty weak due to stormy situations, stressful
circumstances and steady chaotic schedule.
My spiritual health requires strengthening, conditioning as well as
resting in the arms of Jesus.
See, transitioning into a variety of roles throughout life
can bring much joy. Increase in
authority at work brings in better income and new experiences. Time off or retirement opens doors for rest
and visiting more with loved ones. Going
back to school provides grounds for new paths to form. Meeting new people allows for greater
connections and opportunities. Yet, all
this good stuff can weaken our spiritual muscles. Itineraries may take away from Bible
study. New situations may give the enemy
leverage into our thoughts. Or the path
may have a few potholes with which to deter us and cause stumbling.
In order to survive this life, we must stay on top of our
spiritual workouts. These require daily
reading of His Word, prayer and reaching out to others when life pushes you
around. We need to fill our hearts with
love from our Father. We need to fill
our minds with Truth. And we need to
keep our feet steady through obedience.
It is then endurance, strength and clear mindset will keep focused on
the prize which lay ahead; regardless of what the world tries to push upon
us.
A very dear and smart friend spoke to my situation: ‘Healing
from the inside-out makes a solid foundation with which to stand.’ If we only fix part of the problem (the
physical body, worldly situation, current circumstance or busy schedule) and
fail to strengthen our spirit, whatever joy or healing experienced will be
temporary. We need our Father in every
situation to help strengthen, providing endurance to persevere. Let us not grow weary in doing good and being
faithful. Let our spiritual workout
continue daily and never become foreign.
“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself
up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make
it obedient to Christ.” (2 Corinthians
10:5)
Keep praying harder than the devil can work.
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