Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Who's Your Trainer? - Dave's Deep Thoughts

Here's Pastor Dave McDowell's weekly devotional that he sends out to members of his church. Dave is my brother and serves as the Music Minister at Stewartstown UMC in PA.
I guess it depends what end of the leash you are on.

I am a big believer in daily exercise.
I try to get in 6 workouts a week.

I like the results.....
it gives me that endorphin rush,
it helps me to focus,
it often becomes a time for prayer,
and it is good for my health.

Some days are harder than others
to get started.

In the past,
I have used the services of a personal trainer
to motivate me and to push me
to reach goals that I might not otherwise attempt.

That's why he caught my eye.

I see him in the morning
as I drive to work......

He is an elderly man.
He comes into my vision as he crosses the street
on his electric scooter.

I call him Scooterboy.

That wouldn't be that unusual
except that Scooterboy also has his dog on a leash.

To the casual observer,
it looks like this tiny dog is pulling the scooter
much like Rudolph pulls Santa's sleigh.

The only problem is that Rudolph
has 8 other reindeer to help tow the line.

Meanwhile, this little Rudolph is on his own
and Santa wants to go at warp speed.

Now this little pup is tiny
and the scooter wheels are large.
I am not the best at algebraic equations,
but my best estimations
are that this little pupster is taking 7 frantic steps
to every one rotation of the scooter wheels.
.
Essentially,
every morning this little canine
wakes up to a tyrannical Pharaoh trainer
who chases him with an electric chariot.

It might be a great way for the dog to get some exercise........
not so much for Scooterboy.

I'd like to think Scooterboy is taking on some fresh morning air himself,
except that while he is playing jockey,
he is smoking a cigarette.
So much for fresh air.

Meanwhile the little pooch is huffing it,
moving his little legs frantically,
trying to avoid the writing of a pet obituary
that describes how he was run over by a scooter.

Up the hill they go.
The little tyke is now on a 30% incline
and the treadmill showed no signs of slowing down.

They may be only going around the block,
but in miniature dog terms,
Fido is running a marathon
and the finish line is no where in sight.

Soon though,
Scooterboy and his dog disappear out of my sight.
I say a prayer for the little guy,
praying that his little legs hold up for the journey.

I believe that trainers can be a great help
in helping one achieve fitness goals.

But it's hard to listen to a trainer's instructions,
if the trainer himself is out of shape,
or is found behind the gym
trying to appease his nicotine fit.

We listen to trainers
when they practice what they preach,
and we agree with the sermon.

In a sense,
God is our personal trainer,
just not with a leash,
but with a shepherd's crook.

He has goals for each one of us
that are beyond our own comprehension.
Goals that will allow us to
be more than we ever thought we could be.

But they are goals that come from experience.
He understands what it's like to be on both ends of the leash.
He has seen the view both from heaven and earth.

I know I need a trainer.
And so do you.

May we allow the most personal of personal trainers
to take our lives and let them become
all that they were intended to be.

Let Him reveal where you need to exercise.....
prayer, fasting, study,
solitude, simplicity, submission, service,
confession, worship.

It may hurt, and it will cost you,
discipline always does.
But I promise you won't get run over by a scooter.

I will instruct and teach you in the way which you should go;
I will counsel you with My eye upon you.

Psalm 32:8
.

No comments:

Post a Comment