My wife and I own a treadmill. It currently sits in a room in our house, and as of this writing, is still used on a regular basis. The last time I was on it, I had some time to reflect with the Lord. The subject of my reflection had to do with exerting effort and feeling like you were going nowhere.
You see, I had the treadmill set to run an exercise program, it changed speeds and inclines according to the program and all I had to do was walk. Well, after many minutes of walking, I noticed I was still in that same room.
I was sweating, breathing harder, starting to “feel the burn” and beginning to count down the minutes to the end of my routine, but I hadn’t really gone anywhere. I was putting forth an effort, but it looked like I was staying in the same place.
This is the beauty of a treadmill; you can run or walk for miles and never leave the comfort of your own home. But I felt a slight sense of frustration. I had my music going, and I had the TV on, so I wasn’t bored from staring at the walls or listening to the sound of my own breathing. I realized that many times God uses treadmill experiences to “keep us in shape”.
How many times have you spent time in the word, or prayed on a consistent schedule, gone to church, paid your tithes, fasted (we do still fast don’t we?), or just worshipped privately…and felt like you were still in the same place?
You labored, you put forth the effort, you put in the time, but when you looked around, you were right where you started? This is why treadmills stop getting used, and this is precisely why many people “fall off” in their walk with the Lord.
God uses the treadmill to build up our endurance and our strength. He knows what lies ahead in our journey, and He has a program designed to get us to the end…all we have to do is keep walking.
If I can be faithful on the treadmill, I will be faithful in the race. He is teaching us to stay strong, to fight through pain and fatigue, in a situation where failure has no immediate consequence, on our treadmills. So that when the battle rages for real, when the race is for keeps, we know we can keep walking.
When I get off of the treadmill, my sweat is real, I really am tired and my endurance is really growing. It took me so many minutes to travel so many miles and that effort is not in vain. So too in the Lord, our labor is not in vain.
We learn that we can walk up any hill, pick up the pace when we need to, and keep walking. The treadmill experience allows us to grow by building the fundamentals…just put one foot in front of the other and keep walking.
So pray and keep praying, keep fasting and giving and reading His word. Keep doing good works and giving Him praise, even if you’re not moving, you are making progress.
God wants us to stay in spiritual shape and He uses treadmill experiences to keep us strong and make us stronger…just keep walking with Him, when He takes you off, you’ll be better off.
Everyday God... 