You can increase
your physical output by following these simple steps.
Did you know how
much your spiritual or psychological attitude affects your physical output? Of
course, we all know that to be true. But a few days ago, I was reminded of this
reality. As you may know, I like to keep myself in shape physically &
sometimes post my 5-km times on my Facebook page. I do it mainly to encourage
some of you who may need to be doing more exercise. “If Dennis can do that, maybe I should give it a try.”
Most of my life
I have been quite active physically, having been involved in teaching young
teens. I was usually pulled into playing soccer, if only as a goalie or
defensive player, neither of which I did very well. At the same time, I also have fought low
self-esteem, insecurity & discouragement, which has translated into a
deeper relationship with the Lord for the needed strength & inspiration in
daily living. Like Paul said, “For I
know in me (that is in my flesh) dwells no good thing.”[1] And James
advises, “Draw nigh to God, & He
will draw nigh to you.”[2]
Over the last 3
or 4 years, I started a running project as I saw I was putting on weight around
mid-drift bulge! I have always liked to eat, as I come from a family of big-eaters.
At my father’s death, he weighed in around 300 pounds. I am a little under 200
right now, & my 2 brothers are quite a bit over that!
I never had any
problem with weight, & could usually eat all I wanted with little or no
consequence. I have usually kept a
healthy diet & stayed away from pork products, white sugar, white flour
& white rice most of my life & very
little alcohol. But a few years ago, I noticed a tire starting to develop
around the waistline. So I decide a running
project was in order. On the beach that summer, I started running for
between 10-15 minutes. That’s all I could do. I soon built up to 20 minutes &,
over time, 25-30 minutes.
Now, I run my 5
km in usually under 35 minutes. My fastest time has been just around 30 minutes
flat. But I generally do around 33 minutes. It’s a slow pace, but it gets my
heart pumping & lungs expulsing & inhaling deeply. I feel really good
afterwards. I feel physically refreshed &
psychologically renewed. My mind seems sharper & I am less stressed.
Last Tuesday,
however, I was quite discouraged. I had had an argument with my wife over
something I cannot even remember at the moment. Book distribution has been way
down, which means financing is low. Financial
problems normally affect other aspects of our lives, & the problems
become exaggerated in our minds, especially if we are looking down at the
waves, like Peter did.
I sure you remember
the story from the Bible. Jesus had just miraculously fed a huge amount of
people, about 5,000 men, besides the woman & children. He then constrained
the disciples to get away by boat, while He Himself sent the multitude away.
What a humble leader concerned about His flock. He then went into a mountain to
pray until evening.
Meanwhile, the
disciples were having trouble getting to the other side of the lake as the wind
was against them. At about the fourth watch of the night, or about 3 a.m.,
Jesus goes unto them walking on the water. By this time, the disciples are
exhausted & probably discouraged, worried or fearful even though they are
men of the sea. The Bible says, that when they saw Jesus walking, they cried
out in fear that it was a ghost!
Finally, Jesus
calls out to them to not be afraid, that it is He. Peter then answers, “Lord, if it is you, bid me to come out on the
waters with you.” And the Lord says, “Come.”
Peter then starts his famous walk upon the waters. He seems to do quite well
until he is reminded about how strong the winds are & how high the waves
are. He starts to sink, & cries out, “Lord,
save me.” Jesus immediately puts forth His hand & catches Peter &
says unto him, “O you of little faith,
why did you doubt?”[3]
When they get
into the ship, the wind stops, & the disciples worship Jesus saying, “Of a truth You are the Son of God.”[4]
Well, I got my
eyes off the Lord & on my problems & so, I began to sink. Nevertheless,
that day even though I did not feel like running, I compelled myself to. It
took all my effort to not stop in the middle of the 5-km distance & just
walk. When I finally finished the 5 km, my time was 38 minutes & 39 seconds. At least I had run the whole distance.
But it was a very slow time, in fact, the slowest time all year. The discouragement I was feeling had resulted in a low physical performance.
It reminds me of
the true story of an Olympic athlete who was expected to win his competition.
However, the same morning of his final race, he was informed of his mother’s
death. He ended up falling during the race & finished poorly. His
psychological attitude had defeated him & he had lost the race even before
it began.
Back to my
story: The day after my poor time was a national holiday in Portugal. A
couple who has been going through a very serious financial situation, where
their business closed & they lost all their savings & property to the
banks, came by for their bi-monthly visit. It is during this time that they
pick up needed staples & we are able to share God’s Word with them,
counsel, pray & fellowship together.
That day, we
started with a Bible class on discouragement, as our friend has had suicidal
tendencies. After class, we then snacked & sang some Christian songs
together & praised God for our blessings. We ended up reading from the
Bible together, before finishing with a good strong heartfelt prayer for the
next 2 weeks until they come again.
What happened
the next day surprised me. After running my 5 km, I looked at my watch & my
time was 5 minutes 20 seconds faster
than my time 2 days before. I realized how my
spiritual state had affected my physical performance. Also, the day of rest & relaxation &
prayer & praise & reading & sharing God’s Word had made a
difference & had affected me positively.
In conclusion, take that day off that you need & don’t push yourself so hard day after
day. Even God rested on the seventh day & commanded us to follow His
example. That is where we get the 7-day week. Try to maintain your spiritual
life. Get together with like-minded people to share your faith & encourage
each other. Like it says in Paul’s letter to the Hebrews, “Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together.”[5]
Yesterday, I
spent the day working on my present
passion: stories with meaning for children. I finished up the first 3 books
I had been working on for quite some time, but never seemed to have the time to
finish. Instead of going out fundraising & distributing books, I wrote &
edited & formatted & finished 3 books. At 7 o’clock, when I went
running, my time was one minute faster than the day before, or 6 minutes & 20 seconds faster than
the day of my discouragement. Doing my
passion & trusting God for tomorrow increased my physical performance.
So there are a
few tips for you. Trust God. Take a
break. Pray. Do your passion. They’re all good for you! Get the inspiration
you need. But don’t forget to get back to work. Do what you can do & trust
God for the rest! He loves you & wants you to trust in Him. Just pick up a
dollar bill or coin & read, “In God
we trust!” Won’t you?
Footnotes:
[1] Rom.7:18
[2] Jam.4:8
[3] Matthew 14:31
[4] Matthew 14:33
[5] Heb.10:25
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