For anyone of you who know me, my arms are the weakest part of my body. I absolutely hate working on them because it’s so hard for me. It’s easier for me to do leg day than an arm day. I flashed my team my flabby arms and voiced that I need to work on this. Luckily Eric on my team said he would help.
With that being said, I signed up at a gym here in Colombia- in a small town in the middle of nowhere. It’s so cheap that I just knew that it was my calling to work on these flabby arms of mine. Just kidding, no but seriously. Yeah it’s a bit ghetto to what you are used to thinking of a gym in the states…but it works.
Siesta is a real thing in this culture. But me resting in the middle of the day? That’s not who I am. The gym was the spot to take up that siesta.
I don’t know if it’s just me, but I love standing in front of the mirror when I work on my arms. It is as if I’m already seeing a difference every time I pull that dumb bell up and down. Eric comes around and gives me instructions on how many reps of different things I need to do that day. He makes me go hard. One time after the gym, I went to go shower and I couldn’t lift my hands up to wash my face!
But my arms still look the same as they did the first day I started the gym! I became impatient. I want my arms to start toning up! I’m working so hard on them that it’s time for results, NOW! I mean the pain is so real that it’s about time! Sadly the fact is, it’ll take 6-8 weeks until I start seeing results.
Great…
At the beginning of the month I got asked what the Lord had spoken to me about His vision for me this month and for this new continent. I knew in my heart that I wanted to be fit physically, and as much as I love to take care of my health, I knew He wanted me spiritually fit and healthy likewise.
Let me tell you it’s the deeper chipping of you that’s the hardest to work on. It goes down to the core. It’s a deep splinter that you can’t pull out.
Those seasons that feel the hardest and when you don’t see the fruits of it immediately or sooner are painful. I want results quick. I feel like I have been reached the peak of my comfort level this month in Colombia.
First there’s no running water. It’s the center of the sun. There was tarantula by my pillow one night. I have welts all over my body. Then my welts got infected and blistered. I got bitten every night by an unknown bug. I got relocated to a different host. My bathroom and shower is down the street. Should I go on? I think you get the point. I was ready to check out.
Yet the Lord was doing something with it. Every month I am so focused on helping people around me that I tend to forget to help myself.
I believe the Lord took month seven to do so. Before the race I asked Him to challenge me and let me grow stronger in Him. Not to disregard the previous six months and what God has been challenging me through them, but this month He decided it was time to dive deeper.
As you all know from previous blogs, month two He was asking me to give Him my whole heart. Now that He has my whole heart, He’s carving it into His masterpiece.
One night we drove into a village to encourage youth church in the middle of nowhere. On our way back in the dark there were fireflies sparkling all throughout the fields. My friend back home said:
“I will tell you though that the night is darkest before the dawn. You are almost at your peak of glory in Christ. Keep on keeping on. God is working through your fruits of patience, Little One. You’re almost there.”
But amongst this darkness, there was still sparkles. Beauty. That is when I realized I was growing deeper and stronger in Him. No matter how hard life does get, you keep pressing into it.
And that’s how muscle’s work, ladies and gentlemen. Though I couldn’t do another rep for my arm workouts, I knew I had to keep pressing into it, because that is what will create results. God never left the world telling us it was going to be easy. But did He let us know it’s going to be worth it? You betcha!
By the way, that was my first time seeing fireflies in real life believe it or not!
