Flexing My Spiritual Muscles

An image came to mind this morning as I thought about the importance of having regular quiet times with God. I mean, if I am to live my life in the presence of God without ceasing, then what difference does it make whether or not I have regular times with him in solitude?

Then I remembered that I have been struggling with physical pain in my upper back—pain that the experts tell me is being caused by poor posture (and too much time hunched over a computer!). The remedy is specific weight training exercises designed to strengthen the muscles that hold my shoulders back and keep my spine in alignment. Yes, I can remind myself throughout the day to stand up straight (and I do), but without those exercises, it’s really an exercise in futility. In the blink of an eye, my posture sags back into a caveman-like position.

But when I faithfully show up at the gyms and do my exercises, proper posture becomes almost effortless. By strengthening the muscles, my body maintains the correct position without conscious thought. And when that happens, the pain goes away, I feel better, and living my life becomes a lot more pleasant!

God is my Personal Trainer!
The same is true for regular quiet times with God. The object is not to get “warm fuzzies” and good feelings from God—it is to show up faithfully, trusting that God has my well-being at heart. At first, it is not easy and certainly not automatic to show up for one-on-one time with God. Every imaginable excuse why I can’t spend this time right now will pop into my head with alarming intensity. But with determination, faithfulness and most importantly, with the help of God himself, I CAN show up.

And when I begin to make this time a habit, I slowly come to see the connection between my quiet times with God, and my ability to live my life in his constant, loving presence. It goes from being a chore I feel obligated to do, to a loving response to the One who loves me the most—a time I don’t want to live without.