Weight Lifting is Boring

1 Peter 5:10 “In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.” NLT

There’s one aspect of physical fitness that I have not yet learned to embrace. Running, cycling, endurance, sit-ups, calisthenics, and nutrition in general were all struggles, but with time, I’ve conquered and learned to love them. However, weight lifting...I don’t like it. It’s hard. It’s boring. And it hurts....for days at a time. I just don’t understand it, I guess. I mean, you just stand there, doing the same thing over and over again, and there’s nothing to do to distract your attention from the fact that your internal flesh is ripping at that very moment. It hurts too. Sore muscles are a good thing when I think of how my workout must’ve really been a great one. But when it hurts for days at a time, and it’s already time for your next weight building session, I despise it. In fact, I’ve neglected that part of my fitness journey more than I’ve actually performed it because, in case I didn’t mention...it’s hard, it’s boring, and it hurts. 

Strength building in our spiritual life is kind of the same way. It’s hard, it’s boring, and most of all, it hurts. But how do we get stronger in our spiritual life, and how do we learn to trust God? It’s only through trials that we learn how to trust. It’s only when I face hardship in my life today that I get to experience the faithfulness of God. Oh, it’s good when I remember all of the times God’s been faithful and all of the times that He’s brought me through the storms of life. But today when I face new obstacles that I hadn’t anticipated, I have a greater strength in knowing that the same God who has always been faithful is the same God that stands with me today. 

In our Scripture, Peter reminds the church as a whole that sufferings on this earth are only temporary, and in fact, are only momentary compared with the span of eternity. We can rest assured that after we have “suffered a little while,” that He will place us then on a firm foundation. It’s only through the hardships of life, holding to the faithful hand of God, that we become stronger in Him. 

As I lift weights, I can trust that this hard, boring, hurting exercise is necessary if I want to grow and stay strong. It’s not enough for me to simply run or ride my bicycle, simply burning calories, but if I want to be physically strong, I have to go through some strength training. Yes, it is hard, boring, and painful, but it’s only momentary, and will provide me with strength.

Are you facing a hardship today? What trials are you facing that seem so painful right now? Remember, they’re only temporary. And from these trials, you will get stronger!

Encouragement for Today

Proverbs 31:17 “She girds herself with strength and makes her arms strong.” NASB

James 1:12 “God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.” NLT

Romans 8:18 “Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.” NLT

Beauty

Song of Solomon 4:7 “You are altogether beautiful, my darling, beautiful in every way.” NLT

My parents always told me I was beautiful. My daddy especially made it a point to build my sister and me up in every way so that as we grew older, we had confidence. But as I grew, kids were mean. As mentioned before, I have a birth defect that affects my eye alignment. It’s unnoticeable to some, but to others, it’s glaring. At every chance, kids would point it out, and sometimes, even adults. As I journeyed on in life and grew obese, I felt ugly and unsightly. Despite my best attempts at hairstyles, makeup application, and nice clothing, I still felt ugly. My husband tried his best too to make me feel loved and commented regularly that I was beautiful. Still, I didn’t feel it. I struggled too with the thought that there are so many bible verses that speak of a woman’s outward beauty as something that wasn’t necessary. I knew that soul beauty was more important, but I still struggled with the desire to like what I saw in the mirror. All I needed was to lose weight, I thought. 

Song of Solomon is a book about the love Christ has for His bride. Much debate has been discussed through the years as to whether this is really about King Solomon or Christ Himself. I happen to believe that it’s both. While the story is true for Solomon, it’s applicable to how much Christ loves us, his beautiful bride, and in turn, how much we should desire relationship and intimacy with Him. If you’ve never read through Song of Solomon, buckle your seatbelt for some interesting reading. It’s much unlike any other book in the Bible. In it, the man consistently tells the woman how much he loves her and how much he adores her. She is beautiful to him, and despite her insecurities, he insists that he loves her and finds those flaws beautiful still.

Whether we want to admit it or not, the desire for outward beauty for women is there. But like the Apostles Paul and Peter and the author of several proverbs, I agree that our truest desire should be that we are beautiful for our Bridegroom, Christ Jesus Himself. No other person’s opinion matters. We as women struggle with this desire to be beautiful, but yet Christ Himself sees who we really are. Without our makeup, on bad hair days, and even when we feel gross and ugly to the outside world, He still sees what’s on the inside. With that said, though, we can be beautiful on the outside, yet have hideous souls on the inside.

It was only when I began my healthy lifestyle change that I began to feel beautiful. Some reading this may say that it’s because I was losing weight. Sure, my self-confidence was boosted a little as I grew stronger, but the truest transformation was when I gave total surrender to every aspect of my life totally over to Him, my Bridegroom. 

There are those within the Christian realm that believe that women shouldn’t care at all about their appearance. However, I believe that the Bible contains several instances where husbands take note of their wives’ beauty as well as other instances where a woman’s beauty is mentioned. There is nothing wrong with taking pride in our appearances if it’s done with the right motive. Whom are we striving to please? Remember also, though, that with age, beauty fades. It’s a natural course in the circle of life. 

When you look in the mirror, what do you see? What do you feel that others think about you? Who’s opinion matters most?

Let me tell you today that no matter who you are, YOU are beautiful. No matter how you may feel or what others may have told you, YOU were created in the image of God with a plan and purpose for life. Living in the way that God has designed you is nothing less than perfect.

Take some time today to soak in the verses listed in the “Encouragement” section. They are transformational and breathe beauty into our souls.

Encouragement for Today

1 Peter 3:3-4 “Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God.” NLT

Proverbs 31:30 “Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised.” NLT

Ecclesiastes 3:11a “Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time.”  NLT

Psalm 139:14 “Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous--how well I know it.” NLT

Further Reading: Genesis 12:11; Song of Solomon 1:5; Esther 2:7; Song of Solomon 4:1; Genesis 29:17;