My Heart for Building Muscle…of Our Whole Being
Under the umbrella of lavishing love is my passion to help us build muscle. Not just physical muscle, of course, but muscles of our heart, mind and spirit too. Let me first say I am grateful we have a God who is all-sufficient; who provides strength in our weakness, guidance in our confusion, peace and joy in our troubled times. I am thankful because I have been the recipient countless times of the words Jesus spoke to Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in your weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). But just because I know God will always be there to help me doesn’t mean I don’t want to become stronger…emotionally, mentally, spiritually, and physically. This is why I am passionate about “strength training” our whole being.
At the gym, strength training is also called resistance training. That‘s because dealing with resistance—such as lifting, pushing, or pulling weight—is precisely what builds strength. I still remember my shock when I learned that resistance training was tearing my muscles! I asked my trainer why this could possibly be a good thing! He graciously explained that the tearing is necessary because it is actually the torn parts coming back together which makes the muscle become bigger and stronger. The new and greater strength comes from the mending, and the mending only occurs because of the tear. I truly had no idea, and I imagine he had no idea of the profound impact that statement would have on the rest of me.
Read MoreToday’s Unexpected Sanctum—Sonlight in Ice Caves
When I awoke this morning, never did I imagine I would be blessed to experience God in the way I did this afternoon. On our way to Aspen, Colorado, my kids and I stopped at The Grottos for a picnic lunch. As there are beautiful, but potentially dangerous, rock formations and caverns amidst the rushing white water, my four children knew in no uncertain terms to “always have a buddy…never be alone.” Famous last words. For me, God had different plans.
For various reasons, after all five of us had been together at the bottom of the “Ice Caves,” I was now temporarily alone. Feeling a little cold, I moved to sit on a rock where a sunbeam shone down from a crack far above. Now in the light, I immediately felt the sun’s warmth amidst the coolness surrounding me. Once still in the perfect quietness, the sound of trickling water was clearly audible…and ever so peaceful and beautiful.
I looked up to where the sunlight had found its way to me, and I was surprised to see the top of a tree, swaying in a breeze. I could not hear the wind, only see its effects.
Read MoreThe Mission of Lavishing Love
“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!…Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one other, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us” (1 John 3:1, 4:11-12). WOW.
Never did I want to be on Facebook. I currently have no clue how to “Tweet.” It has scared me to tears several times recently that via this blog the world will have access to my innermost thoughts, feelings, and relationship with God. I am simply a writer who feels content living in my own little world, expressing my faith in my own controlled ways.
But amid my fears, weaknesses, and failings, I believe Jesus has taken hold of my hand and is leading me down a new path because God is calling me to do more.
Read MoreMy Tears in Physical Therapy…and Habakkuk’s Prayer
About one month ago I was on the “Total Gym” in physical therapy, and as EVERY patient and therapist could see me in the large, open room, I was mustering every bit of self-control I could to keep my tears inside my ducts. How I wished I were outside and could simply put on sunglasses, but inside this room there was nowhere to hide. I could barely—and I do mean barely—bend my left knee both because of searing pain under my knee cap as well as a severely debilitating weakness in my quadricep. All of my trying to have a good attitude these last couple months had finally come to a halt as I simply could not believe how much my life had changed.
I wanted to tell the little old man riding the bike next to me how strong I used to be…how much weight I used to be able to press with a single leg when I was on my figure and fitness team. I had this overwhelming feeling that my therapist and everyone else in the room had no idea of my former physical prowess, and I wanted them to know the impressive highlights. Tormented by these completely irrational thoughts racing through my brain and feeling the pain from my broken heart, my little tears were the ones with the strength that day as they escaped my ducts’ hold and quietly ran down my cheeks. After these last five years of being known for my fitness, I asked God what He was thinking, allowing my body to endure this brokenness?
Read MoreLaurie in Oxygen Magazine
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