You need to get in shape

Very early this year I hit the bottom. At least it felt like the bottom that day, when the pressure was so severe and the depression so deep, that I felt like I didn’t want to do this anymore. I sat in the parking lot of City Hall, and in desperation for help, called a friend. When I started to tell him what was happening he only wanted to talk himself and about when he was in trouble…. so I hung up. I called one more friend as a last resort, and when he heard what was happening he began to pray in the Spirit… he spent a lot of time that morning with me on the phone and he helped me through that very difficult day. After we hung up, as I sat in my truck weeping profusely, I heard the inner voice… you know the one… saying very forceably (and loudly it seemed to me), YOU NEED TO GET IN SHAPE!! Now what did that mean?

So in the weeks since then I have been working on that. Firstly, I have lost a lot of weight, about 1/5 th of myself, but as the time has gone on, I have come to realize that although I was very much overweight, that was really not the main thing the inner voice was speaking to me about. I was out of shape spiritually. And I think I had been that way for a long time.

No, no, no, I had not backslidden or fallen into great sin. I had become lethargic spiritually. I had become lazy and very complacent. My walk with Jesus had become predictable. So as we have been working through, and out of the situation we have been in I have realized I needed to make some definite steps spiritually to get in shape. And I’ve been doing that. I pray more, praise better, and worship more intensely. And I feel better… much, much better. Even as recently as tonight I was complemented on how much better I look having lost weight, and I don’t know how you can see it, but I am sure I have to look better spiritually too. I know I feel better, much much better. It became obvious to me the other night when my daughter-in-law remarked about how happy I seem to be.

You know I am happy. I am still fighting a battle everyday and today was unbelievable. But I feel so much stronger, happier and determined to continue to get in shape. I think I still have a long way to go, but I’m not as sloppy spiritual as I was. I was thinking about this a lot today and I realized that in order to live on the HIGH ROAD one has to be in shape. Because there are lots of hurdles, bumps, hills and valleys to go through in order to stay on the HIGH ROAD. It takes stamina and strength, the kind that only comes when you are in good shape.

Now I realize I have talked about myself a lot here tonight, but only to bring me to this. Without my friend that day, and ultimately the presence of Jesus filling my truck that day in the parking lot, I would not be where I am today. So the process has been difficult and painful but the effect in my life is precious and for that I say THANK YOU LORD.

Let me finish this tonight just by aking, what kind of shape are you in? This may not make much sense to anyone but me, but remembering that morning early this year, it all makes perfect sense to me.

Let’s live on THE HIGH ROAD.