Devotionals

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Grunt. Wheeze. Up, down, up.

“Can I have a ride?” she asks.

“Me too, me too,” he adds excitedly.

“Ok, but wait until I say to get on,” I concede.

After getting a few push-ups in, I let Emi get on my back. A few giddy-ups later my arms are shaking.

“Off,” I gasp before I collapse.

Jayce gets the same ride on the next set.

Sit-ups are next. They take turns lying across my chest.

Workout time is a family event in our house.

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Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ. I praise you for remembering me in everything and for holding to the teachings, just as I passed them on to you. (1 Cor 11:1-2)

I don’t work out even a fraction of what I used to do. Granted, I used to run a martial arts studio and had the luxury of training my body all day long. I didn’t even have to put in that much effort to stay in really good shape.

Now I snag a few minutes every few days to get in what I would call “maintenance” training. I just don’t want to get past the point of no return.

I joke about family workout time, but it is actually helpful. It makes the training harder to do; thus I gain from it physically. And hopefully the kids are seeing that fitness is a good thing.

In the same way I have seen the correlation in my spiritual training. Because I have a wife and two children, I need to train even harder. I can extend that even further; I have people around me that will see God through my life. I am that light on the hill. Everything I do overflows into other lives; whether it is good – or bad.

If I only train for my own benefit, I will be overwhelmed when my family needs my leadership or someone looks to me for guidance. I have a responsibility to have a surplus of love, patience, and holiness. I can’t even stress how difficult this is. That is why Christ is the example and the source. He has enough for everyone, so I can have enough for a few.

In Christ,
TD

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