Objects at Rest

I have had a local gym membership for some time as staying physically healthy has long been a desire of mine. But as I am getting married in a little over four months, let's just say the pressure is on for me to be in better shape than the twig form that I am in currently.

The problem is: I just can't get into a rhythm with the whole gym thing. I go a few days here, take a few days off there. One week on, two weeks off. Don't look at me--Life is busy. The fiancé needs to hang out, and my introverted self needs down time! Maybe you can relate.

After sifting through my excuses I have concluded my problem is due to basic physics. An object at rest tends to stay at rest.

Believe it or not, there was a time in my life when I was going to the gym frequently, and I was enjoying it. There was a time when I was not always on the verge of passing out when I did leg day--and I was actually setting goals for myself and gaining good weight (for us skinny guys gaining weight is a good thing). Back then, I actually looked forward to going to the gym! I had caught momentum.

We speak of habits often in the negative sense--primarily because the negative ones are far more common. People can get addicted to just about anything BAD: drugs, pornography, alcohol, sleeping in, fatty foods...fill in the blank. Leave it to us and we can even develop unhealthy habits with good things. Such sinful behavior is popular not only because of the immediate benefits it offers us, but because we are sinful people through and through. It appeals to our fallen natures.

But do good habits really have to be any different? You rarely hear of someone addicted to prayer and fasting--or Scripture memorization. Yet good disciplines (and I am not speaking of just the Spiritual ones) offer far more lasting benefits with incomparable rewards. Could it be we are just too lazy and short term focused to care? Do we simply quit long before we see the fruit of a truly noble habit? I think so.

As I motivate myself to go to the gym on a more consistent schedule, I want to encourage you to dare to build some healthy disciplines. Start with something small: commit to daily Bible reading, find a way to serve the needy in your community, or jump off the fence and get involved in you local church. Maybe you should even get a gym membership. Today is as good a time as any to scrape off that erosive rust on your wheels, and start moving in the right direction. You will not always have the opportunity.

This first step will likely be the hardest part. But once the wheels start turning, you might find it hard to stop.


How long will you lie there, you sluggard?
    When will you get up from your sleep?
A little sleep, a little slumber,
    a little folding of the hands to rest—
 and poverty will come on you like a thief
    and scarcity like an armed man.


Proverbs 6:9-11