Good Rest

Spiritual Training Cycle: Examination (wk. 9/13)

1 Kings 19:1-8

As the head coach at our facility, my responsibility is to enrich the client experience on the gym floor and execute the programming that supports our athletes' strength and fitness development. Frequently, I encounter athletes who are hesitant to take any days off, and while their dedication is admirable, I often emphasize the importance of rest. While it's commonly advised to take a few days off each week for body repair and recovery, I also believe it’s not just important that you rest but how you rest. 

On any given week we are doing at least two strength days where we will perform lifts like squats, deadlifts, presses, and Olympic lifts at a minimum of 70% of our maximal effort. On top of that we are doing conditioning workouts that can range from running, jumping, pulling, and throwing that can work the entire body. And then we have one day where we do a “Recovery Workout.”

Many members might view recovery days as a chance to relax or even skip altogether, thinking they're not as challenging. However, recovery workouts are just as important as any other session. They're not about avoiding activity but rather redirecting our activity.

Instead of high-intensity workouts, we focus on skill development, mobility exercises, or interval training at a controlled pace. These days are essential as they provide a break from the intensity of chasing leaderboards or personal records. By dedicating time to these recovery days, we enhance our performance on regular training days, ultimately improving overall fitness. 

We've embraced the notion that doing nothing on recovery days is the epitome of 'self-care.' However, the rampant use of this phrase has become a means of escapism, numbing out, or shirking responsibilities. Instead of addressing important tasks like revising our monthly budget after indulgent vacations, we opt for expensive meals out instead of cooking at home. Rather than clearing our minds with activities like reading or journaling after a stressful workday, we mindlessly scroll through our phones for hours. And instead of tending to our bodies with necessary stretches on recovery days, we skip workouts and end up feeling even more sore the next day. True self-care involves proactive actions that nourish our physical, mental, and emotional well-being, not just temporary escapes from reality.

The concept of spiritual recovery mirrors physical recovery, requiring effort in the present for long-term benefits. It's a practice, a discipline, an active pursuit, a space to allow Jesus to nurture our soul. Like self-care, spiritual recovery involves taking tangible steps rather than passively waiting for improvement. The reality is that short-term challenges are just that—temporary. By cultivating a habit of preemptively addressing our needs before our bodies or minds reach their breaking point, we set ourselves up for greater success down the road.

Just as God nourished Elijah back to health while he hid in the cave from Jezebel's threats (1 Kings 19:1-8), we're reminded that our physical well-being is intertwined with our spiritual health. Elijah's story illustrates the importance of tending to our bodies during times of stress or hardship. Spiritual recovery isn't just about abstract notions; it involves tangible actions, much like the sustenance God provided for Elijah. By prioritizing our physical health, we honor the temple of the Holy Spirit within us and position ourselves to better serve God's purpose for our lives. Our self-care becomes a demonstration of our gratitude for God’s grace to rescue us.

God's concern for our physical well-being is as profound as His care for our spiritual life. The greatest commandment calls us to love God with all our heart, mind, and strength. Neglecting self-care undermines our ability to fulfill this command effectively, leaving us in a state of self-denial. God desires our wholeness, and through His Spirit, He guides us towards spiritual recovery that encompasses the restoration of both body and soul.

Questions for Reflection:

What would a spiritual recovery day look like for you?

When do you know you’ve reached a spiritual breaking point?

Landmines

Spiritual Training Cycle: Examination (wk. 8/13)

Hebrews 10:19-25

There’s a “good” me and a “bad” meI travel regularly for my work. And I always have good intentions. Squeezed in alongside my business attire and dress shoes, I make sure to pack workout clothes and gym shoes. Additionally, the resolve to eat healthy while on the road is front-of-mind for me as I head to the airport.

Then I get to the airline club at the airport. With free snacks and cokes, including my favorites, chocolate-covered raisins. Strike One. That’s okay, because when I land and head to the hotel, I aim straight for the fitness center downstairs.  Until I walk past the TV in the hotel restaurant with my favorite team playing a game that I don’t want to miss.  Strike Two. No problem – I’ll set my alarm for an early-morning workout.  But the next morning when my alarm goes off, I roll over and catch a few more minutes of sleep.  Strike Three.

True confession: on my last several work trips, the workout clothes and gym shoes never made it out of the suitcase.  But I have enjoyed a few too many chocolate-covered raisins, cokes and staying up late watching sports.

I often feel like echoing the words from the Apostle Paul in the seventh chapter of his letter to the Romans when he says, “So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand.” Chocolate covered raisins, sports on the big screen, an extra few minutes of sleep and the “bad” side has won out again.

I suspect my example is not an isolated one.  What story could you tell of your “bad” you?

Fifteen workouts a monthThis is particularly frustrating to me because I like to set goals.  One of my physical goals for this year is 15 workouts a month.  That goal becomes pretty challenging when the workout clothes don’t make it out of the suitcase.

We need one anotherWhich makes my friendship with people like Jerry, Austin, and Jill all the more important to me.  These are fellow athletes at the gym I belong to. They notice when I’m gone. I get text messages from them when I miss for several days. They encourage me when I show up. Their accountability and encouragement drive me back to the gym - and my goals - every time I get off the road.  They help me be the “good” me I aspire to be regarding my athletic goals.

The author of the book of Hebrews in the New Testament wrote about this very thing when he challenged his readers to become the best spiritual version of themselves by staying close to other followers of Christ:

“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” – Hebrews 10:24-25

If having a community of athletes around helps us to move toward our physical best, how much more important is a spiritual community to help us become the best version of who we are as spiritual beings.

Questions for Reflection:

How does living in a spiritual community help you grow?

What can you do better to live this out?

How can you “stir up” and “encourage” one another in your spiritual community?

A New Yes

Spiritual Training Cycle: Examination (wk. 7/13)

Reading: Proverbs 4:18-27

We’ve got an epidemic in this country. It’s called Yes Syndrome. Fueled by a mindset that humans can and should do everything that comes their way, people with Yes Syndrome are over planned, over committed, and one step away from burn out. Yes Syndromer’s have a thriving social media feed full of all their yeses. They have a calendar of activities that would rival any first-world country leader. But what’s missing is opportunity. Which would seem crazy because how can opportunity be missing when a person says yes to every opportunity that comes along? Because you can’t really say yes to everything. So, what Yes Syndromer’s do is say yes to the first things. But what if those things aren’t the best things? If you want less pain in your life, less friction in your relationships, and less tension in your heart, you need a new yes. Here are four tips to build a new yes.

New Yes TIP # 1 // Focus on consumption, not your calendar

This is the ultimate new yes hack. Simple inventory – What are you consuming? I don’t mean food, although that matters. I mean everything else. The scrolling, the new series, the old classics, the podcasts, music, even the thoughts in your head. That’s all stuff you’re saying yes to. And it’s having an impact on other yeses in your life.

My friend Jake realized this when he took a consumption inventory. Jake noticed when he watched drama shows where anger and violence were in the primary plot line, he was more aggressive and angrier in life. His yes to those shows meant yes to anger, hostility, and aggression. What you consume can ultimately end up consuming you. Start creating your new yes by taking an inventory of what you’re consuming.

New Yes TIP # 2 // Build a priority pyramid

Start at the top. What’s the number one most important priority in your life? For me, it’s Jesus. Jesus is at the top of my priority pyramid, followed by my wife, my kids, my friends, and so on. As a category, it’s relationships. I prioritize people before processes. After relationships comes fitness and my fitness journey, which encompasses things such as exercise, nutrition, and hydration. And then I prioritize recovery. I value down time. It’s where my body adapts, my mind turns off, and my soul rests.

Based on these priorities, one of the places you are least likely to find me is social media. I’m on there briefly for work, but it doesn’t fit within what’s truly important in my life. Priorities create margin in your life, and they are essential to a new yes.

New Yes TIP # 3 // Master the art of saying no

Saying no is a skill. Ask any parent. You know how you learn a skill? Exactly. You practice. You can’t master the art of saying no without plenty of practice. So, start looking for things to say no to. And if you have a faith system, please don’t make the excuse that the reason it’s hard for you to say no is that everything coming your way is from God. It’s not. Instead, it’s your chance to build the skill of saying no. Here are some powerful no’s to consider:

-       No, I’m not going to hang out with that friend group anymore

-       No, I’m not going to text my co-workers or boss in the evening or on weekends

-       No, I’m not going to relive the past

-       No, I’m not going to say that mean or hurtful thing I want to

-       No, I’m not going to “just have one drink.”

-       No, I’m not going to stay up late binge watching

A new yes won’t be yours until you master the art of saying no.

New Yes TIP # 4 // Guard your heart

The Bible contains a few books that focus solely on wisdom. One of those is the book of Proverbs. Proverbs 4:23 says,

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.

The author of this proverb was not a cardiologist, so understand he’s not referring to the organ we call a heart. Instead, he’s referring to your mind, your personality, your inner being. And if everything we do flows from that, then we’ve got to protect it. Defend it. We’ve got to downright fight for it. For me, that’s where my spiritual exercise program kicks in.

One of the spiritual exercises I practice is called self-care. In the faith system I use, we define self-care as allowing Jesus to nurture our soul. And man does my soul need nurturing! When you think about self-care, you might think of a massage or a bubble bath or maybe even a pedicure. Those are all nice, but they don’t nurture the soul like Jesus does.

When I’m ready for some self-care, I like to find a quiet space where I can have a little solitude. I might play a worship song or pray or read the Bible. But my goal is just to open my heart and make it accessible to God. Then He does the rest. Now, you could listen to worship music while you take a bubble bath, or you could pray while you get a pedicure and that may work great for you. We can all get our self-care on in different ways as long as our goal is the same – to let Jesus nurture our soul. He’s the ultimate Guard of our heart and the path to your new yes.

Questions for Reflection:

Which tip captured your attention the most and why?

Would you say limits decrease or increase our freedom?