Fat and Kicking

I do not like to suffer…I do not like to fast and pray…yet fasting and praying are spiritual disciplines that lead to great joy. Just as an Olympic athlete may not enjoy the rigors of day in and day out exercise…over and over again…months, and years of training, he/she has their eye on the goal…that triumphant goal of the reward…and in some cases, just to be in the arena competing.  I like what Theodore Roosevelt said about being in the arena:

“The Man in the Arena”

        “It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better.  The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by the dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself in a worthy course;   who at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who, at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly; so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”

        Preparing oneself to serve God takes discipline and rigor.  David, Ezra, and Joshua understood that it was the studying, meditating, and storing up of God’s Word in their heart that would lead to true success and prosperity (Joshua 1:8, Psalm 1, Ezra 7).  Obtaining the wisdom and the knowledge of God enables us to negotiate life skillfully.  Paul teaches us that we are to “Study to show ourselves approved unto God, a workman who needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth.”  Preparing for to serve our God and others requires the spirit of a workman…western Christianity has become so fat…so given to mediocrity.  God cries out in Deuteronomy chapter 32: 15, “Jeshurun (poetic name for Israel) waxed fat and kicked, because he forsook the God who made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation.”  The picture here is that of a cast sheep.  Because she has stopped lambing, she continue to gorge herself becoming fatter and fatter, until she is good for nothing.  When sheep become this fat they live in danger because once they lie down, they often cannot upright themselves.  If you notice sheep lying down, you will notice that they tuck their feet under themselves.  A fat sheep though, sometimes will stretch their legs to the side and when they do, they cannot get back up.  When this occurs, a poison drains from their stomach into their brain, eventually resulting in death.  I have personally witnessed this traumatic event.  The sheep will violently kick its legs trying to right itself—“waxed fat and kicked…” shepherds have to be extremely cautious because the sheep can easily break your leg if you aren’t careful…they are kicking violently, but it is often too late, though I did see one such sheep be rescued by an 80 year old shepherd who really loved his sheep.  I imagine that our Father would do the same.

        Overcoming complacency requires an act of the will, and the help of our God.  Recently I have begun running after learning that I am a borderline diabetic. I hate to run! I enjoy hiking and walking but I know that unless I really begin to aggressively work my way into shape, I will fall back into complacency.  It has been about eight weeks since I started.  I don’t know how or when it happened, but today I love running…I can’t wait to get out their and run…I am up to about four miles, though half of that is walking...it is a start and already I am feeling the increased stamina and return of my health.  Spiritual disciplines are not easy, but they lead to great joy.