No Pain, No Gain!

 

            Over the last ten days here in Louisville, we’ve had snow, sleet, freezing rain, frigid cold temperatures, and more snow.  With a slight warm-up yesterday, some of the snow and ice are beginning to melt, but my street still looks like an ice-skating rink.  Spring is 65 days away—and yes, I am counting.  It can’t come soon enough for me!

            I’ve been walking my neighborhood for the past ten months or so.  For my New Year’s resolution, I planned to walk at least a mile every day.  I made it through day 4 when the snow hit. Exercise for the sake of exercise is not my idea of fun, but when you get to a certain age, sports are not exactly the way to go if you want to stay in shape.  I speak from experience and had a broken foot last year to prove it.

So, with the coming of the snow and ice, it would have been easy to just forget the resolution and stay seated until the spring thaw.  However, I’ve seen good results from the walking, so I wasn’t ready to abandon my resolution just yet.  So, for the last ten days, I’ve done a combination of walking/jogging through my house, using my “gazelle” exercise equipment and catching some Silver Sneaker classes online.  So far, I’ve continued to make my goal each day. 

Unfortunately, that’s not the norm.  Often, when our plans get interrupted, we (or maybe I should say “I”) are eager to abandon the whole idea and take it easy.  Believe me, I considered that as the better option., but any athlete will tell you, “No pain, no gain.” 

That slogan is not only true for keeping in shape, but also for life.  Life is constantly interrupting our plans.  When that happens, we must decide if we will take the easy way out and give up, or will we get up, dust ourselves off, and keep going. Accomplishing anything of value requires work.  Sometimes, it even requires us to change our plans so that we can keep moving forward. 

The apostle, Paul, is a great example of one who did not let obstacles prevent him from carrying out his plans.  He was committed to taking the Gospel to as many Gentiles as possible, and he wasn’t about to let a few beatings, unjust imprisonments, stonings, or shipwrecks prevent him from completing his mission.  (II Corinthians 11: 23 – 25).  God had commissioned him for a mission, and he intended to see it through, regardless of the cost.  My resolution pales in the face of Paul’s commitment, but, like all of us, I had to decide whether my plan was worth the work.  I think the best explanation of Paul’s commitment to move forward is this:

“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all” (II Corinthians 4: 17 NIV84).

I don’t know what resolutions or plans you have made, but you can be sure that there will be a time when they will be interrupted.  The question is whether you, like Paul will keep moving forward, regardless of the sacrifices or will you take the easy road and let your plans fall by the wayside.  No pain, no gain!

II Corinthians 4: 16 - 18

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