Spiritual Training Cycle: Connection (wk. 11/13)
Claaaannnggg. The sound rang out across the entire gym echoing off the walls. The experienced athletes cringed, waiting to see what fate awaited the rookie weightlifter. All eyes followed the coach as she graciously, yet expeditiously, made her way to the scene of the crime. The equipment in front of the athlete confirmed what she, and everyone else, suspected had happened. Anxiously, the rookie athlete watched as the coach slipped the remaining plates off the other side of the barbell and carefully set it on the ground. As she stood, she quietly, but firmly said to the wide-eyed athlete, “You don’t ever drop an empty barbell. Empty barbells are fragile.”
If you want to get your coach’s attention, drop an empty barbell. I mean, even from shin height, you’ll have a coach at your station faster than when you set a new personal best. It’s a learning process for new athletes and I get it. They see these videos of people lifting incredible loads with barbells. They see the barbell bend at the strongman competitions, yet never break. Well, almost never. They watch other athletes in the gym on deadlift day finish their final rep and feel the floor shake as their barbell drops to the ground. But what they don’t yet realize is that the barbell by itself is fragile. What seems like a simple piece of steel is quite complex. Inside the collars, or the ends of the barbell, are bearings – small balls or needles that allow the barbell to spin. When you load a barbell with weight, it’s the weight that ultimately receives the force of a drop, preserving the barbell from severe damage. Empty barbells must bear the force of the fall directly, and over time they will simply lose their effectiveness or break altogether. A barbell is strongest when it is connected to an external load. That’s where it becomes most powerful.
In life, you’re essentially an empty barbell. You’re fragile. I know we all think we’re tough and we can handle what life throws at us, but truth be told, it only takes one or two “bumps” in the road to reveal just how fragile we really are. And I don’t mean physically, I’m talking emotionally and mentally. We’re all one crisis away from breaking. Next thing you know, we’re yelling at our kids, fighting with our spouse, distracting ourselves on social media, drinking one more glass of wine, you name it. These are all coping mechanisms we turn to when life shows just how fragile we really are. While they may bring temporary relief, they don’t provide the strength or power we need to live a purposeful and fulfilling life.
The empty barbell teaches us the need to be gentle in the gym and in life. I know it may sound strange for me to suggest that in a gym full of clang and bang you need to be gentle, but you do. If you roll in like a bull in a china shop, you’re going to miss the opportunity to practice being gentle. And you need to train gentleness because it is a life skill.
Gentleness is our strength under divine direction. When we choose to let Jesus direct our strength, we learn we don’t always need to go all out, red lined and full throttle. Not only is that a direct highway to burnout, it also causes us to miss the moments when people need us the most.
Last year my son had a challenging high school football season. He was playing center for the first time, which required lots of extra practice outside of school. At first, he was excited to work with me as we did our usual 100 snaps a day. But then things began to change. His mood was a little more solemn and his enthusiasm started to wane. Being the classic Dad/Coach that I am, I pressed on and talked to him about perseverance and the work no one ever sees.
But it was me who couldn’t see. I was the bull in the china shop, and it took some encouragement from my wife to slow it down. To be gentle with my son. As God directed my strength, I realized there was a deeper issue – one filled with anxiety and insecurity. My son was the empty barbell. He didn’t need me to press. Ne needed me to pray.
Over the course of the season, we would grow so much closer as a family. Time and space would help heal the emotional anguish of my son. Gentleness has the power to change lives. Just think how much your life has changed as God has been gentle with you. Like the empty barbell, God is gentle with you because He knows you’re fragile.
Questions for Reflection:
What does being gentle look like for you?
What areas of your life need more gentleness?
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