I can’t believe that it’s already April. Last year for the first 100 days of the year my mom and I did burppies every day. It was a great challenge, one I decided not to repeat. I decided to take on a different challenge this year. Go to the gym every day for at least the first 100 days.
Well, I made it through the first 103 days of the year without missing, and technically I’ve gone 104 days in a row as I went to the gym on New Years Eve.
Going to the gym came easy, its what happened when I wasn’t at the gym that has been a different type of challenge.
The first 30 days flew by. Other than making it to the gym on January first, when I felt too tired to do anything, it wasn’t difficult to make it to the gym every.
Even though I thought making it a week straight would be the real challenge, as 6 days in a row was my previous top, but I set my mind to it and January turned into February. But as you may have read, my year came crashing to a halt on day 45. If you do the math. you’ll know this was Valentine’s Day, the day my Pathfinder died.
But this didn’t stop me from going to the gym. Still in shock from the accident, I made my way to the gym late on the night of the 14th.
Two days later, when I was preparing my house for my birthday party, I nearly ran out of time to go to the gym, but while the pork was marinading and the rice was cooking, I dashed off to the gym and did a quick 100 sit ups (my goal was to go to the gym every day, not have an extreme workout every day, and every little bit counts).
After those hiccups, it didn’t seem like anything could stop me.
Well, not a huge blizzard that canceled worship at The Neighborhood Church on March 3rd, day number 62 of the year.
Then the gym closed. But did that stop me? No, I didn’t let 24 hour fitness’s decision to remodel their Kipling location hinder my workouts. From the 8th of March to the 13th I drove to the other 24’s in my area. I thought about taking that time off, but since I’d made it when my car was wrecked and when I had hardly any time, I couldn’t let the inconvenience of having to drive 15 minutes stop me.
Heck when I lived in Guatemala I used to walk 45 minutes to get to the gym. I guess that’s how I managed to make it all the way to 100 days in a row without missing a workout.
On the way to 100 Days I bought a car to replace my wrecked Pathfinder. My car insurance really helped me recover from that wreck. And then just as I passed 100 straight days at the gym, on day 101, my new car died on me. It’s not fixable either. That Thursday night, frustrated about my car problems, I found myself at the gym. I didn’t want to be anywhere else.
Well, maybe in Guatemala where I didn’t need a car. But I couldn’t go to the gym everyday there, as my gym in Xela was always closed on Saturdays. But something I could do in Guatemala, and I’ve continued to do every day here in Colorado is read my Bible and trust in God. This is something I’ve tried to do every day for the last 8 years.
And that part of my day, the time in prayer and the Bible, is what really helped me make it through the first 101 days of the year.
Spending time with God every day made going to the gym easy. If my eyes are focused on him, my true prize, running, biking, and lifting will come easy. The hard part is trusting God when everything seems out of control. Like when my car died.
But here is what I read out of the Jesus Calling that night after going to the gym to burn off my frustration over the loss of another car, “This is the day that I have made. Rejoice and be glad in it. Begin the day with open hands of faith, ready to receive all that I am pouring into this brief portion of your life. Be careful not to complain about anything, even the weather (or cars in my circumstance), since I am the Author of your circumstances. The best way to handle unwanted situations is to thank Me for them. This act of faith frees you from resentment and frees Me to work My ways into the situation, so that good emerges from it.
To find Joy in this day, you must live within its boundaries. I knew what I was doing when I divided time into twenty-four hour segments. I understand human frailty, and I know that you can bear the weight of only one day at a time. Do not worry about tomorrow or get stuck in the past. There is abundant Life in My Presence today.”
Going to the gym helps me feel good. I like how I feel right now after setting aside time to be active each day, but spending time with God, reading his word, and praying to him, gives me true hope for a future filled with Joy, because he is in control.
He will redeem this day and he just might do it while I’m at the gym.
Adventure With Brendan 
Somewhere between “then” and “now”, I discovered that “being in a rush” and feeling pressed to “make something important” out of every single fleeting moment, was often counter-productive in the long run & in relationship to “the big picture.” I coined for myself the reminding phrase, “efficiency is the enemy of spirituality”, and have intentionally tried to back off from pressing forward in action at every single energy-graced moment ~~ (moments which diminish in frequency and intensity as time goes on anyway),… (-:
It worked! I’m free to vary my focus, my energy, my thoughts, my plans, and to listen and respond better to God personally, to plan ahead more calmly, and to ride the waves of what comes, knowing that having Him with me is mostly all that matters,… what is this external race that we run so diligently, but often so unconsciously?,… where did it come from?,… where is it going?,… with God, we have already arrived and He will gladly help direct our way,… you’re on a good path!,… be of good cheer!,… (-:
I am so glad that God will guide our way. It’s so comforting.
The “world’s” agenda certainly seems to have many good things to offer, but many of its “paths” are pressurized with expectations and demands that are difficult to fulfill while keeping a balanced and healthy perspective,… In this sense, it is not always “our friend”, as many have discovered,… I’m reminded of what I considered to be almost “horror stories” at the time, of newly graduated NYU law students who went to work for NYC law firms and were expected to work very extremely long hours far into the night doing research for cases ~~ (definitely not your 40-hour work week!) ~~ for the “privilege” of working for these firms,… It appeared to me that they were being “used” a bit unfairly,… I wasn’t interested in being a law student, but knew some, and realized then that there are many things in life that I am just not cut out to do,…
The more industrialized we’ve become, the more we have systematized so many aspects of our society’s pathways, the less room there is for humanness and creative problem solving and satisfying authentic individuality to be birthed and expressed within us,… I think it has become a very great problem in this day and age, and perhaps especially for the young,… who am I?,… what am I “supposed” to be doing?,… where do I fit in best with life’s plan for me?,… the great “identity” questions of the ages always confront us at crossroads of decision,…
I never really attempted to climb too many ladders of worldly success (too much personal sacrifice involved at the time), but besides being a dedicated and heart-felt “mom”, I did manage to find work that was very satisfying, if not particularly remunerative,…
I consider my greatest unexpected blessings to have been in the associations I managed to make along the way, with some very excellent people, tutors, spiritual leaders and advisers, great teaching traditions and so on, and I give God full credit for leading me in decisions and choices and directions that brought me in the proximity of these things,…
My main decision eventually became to “eschew evil” and vain distractions (which we are offered plenty of continually, these days), and to make my actions and choices always count in being positive, helpful, encouraging and/or in some way affirming of life and God’s ways,… If I seemed to be “wasting time”, let it not be on empty substitutes for real life actions, thoughts and activities,… Often my default setting would be prayer or contemplation, rather than letting electronic time-wasters invade and occupy my sense realm, leaving me somewhat out of touch with both God and myself,…
How we live our lives makes a real difference in what we will reap,…
James 4:8 “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. … ”
Galatians 6:6-8 [Be Generous and Do Good]
6 … 7 “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.”
The really comforting thing is that God IS true to His Word,… as we keep our thoughts and attention close to Him, He really is better able to help us, lead us and guide us,…