For When I Want To Reach For a Snickers Instead of My Sneakers

running shoes“Exercise? Lord, you want me to exercise? Are You serious? Don’t You know how hard that is for me? I just wanna stay in bed. I want to eat whatever I want whenever I want and never gain an ounce. Are You sure exercise is necessary?”

Exercising does not come natural to me. If rating it on an enjoyment scale, I would put it somewhere above scrubbing toilets and then somewhere below eating chocolate. Waaaaaaaay below chocolate. To my flesh exercise seems (if I am going to be quite honest) unfair.

Those very feelings reveal a place where I have gotten the Lord and the enemy confused. I treat the Lord like He is the one trying to steal from me – stealing my right to pleasure, my right to yummy foods, my right to being a couch potato.

But Jesus was not sent to this earth to steal from us. Stealing is Satan’s job description. Jesus came to give.

 “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy; I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” John 10:10 (NKJV)

I tend to look at how inconvenient, painful, and just plain hard exercise can be, but the Lord sees the end result. He sees how much better I will feel. He sees how much healthier I will be if I get my behind moving. He sees an improved quality of life down the road if I will discipline my body now. He is trying to give me part of that abundant life – one that includes physical health along with the spiritual and emotional health He offers.

The Lord isn’t stealing anything from me. He wants me to be blessed. And as much as my body may disagree at first, exercise is a blessing.

So does having this knowledge that exercise is actually a blessing make me want to jump out of bed singing, “Hallelujah!! I get to work out today!”? No. Not yet, at least. But God promises me in His Word that “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13, NKJV) – even exercise. And He says He can give me the want to in those places I don’t want to-“For God is working in you, giving you the desire to obey Him and the power to do what pleases Him.” (Philippians 2:13, NLT)

God wants us to be healthy even more than we do. All we have to do is ask Him to help us. And I must admit, I really do feel better on those days I choose to throw on my sneakers and work up a sweat.

So how about you? Have you had the enemy and the Lord confused on this one, too? May the Lord open our eyes to who the real thief is, and may we partake fully of the abundant life He wants us to have.

(P.S. I think a little chocolate on the side is okay.)  🙂

9 Responses to For When I Want To Reach For a Snickers Instead of My Sneakers
  1. melissia
    August 27, 2012 | 10:55 pm

    Thank you for these wonderful words this gives me strength in areas I am so weak in. May God bless you always

    • Kimberly
      August 28, 2012 | 7:26 am

      Thanks, Melissa! I so need His strength and wisdom…in every area of my life. This one is pretty in my face right now, though. 🙂

  2. Angie
    August 28, 2012 | 7:05 am

    I love this! I am big into fitness and nutrition and have managed to lost 18 pounds since April, but this was not always the case. For the passt three years I gained a lot of weight after my thryoid wass removed and I kept telling myself that I was too this or too that to lose the weight. Finally an indirect event made me realized that I needed to get back to it, and through that I found my love for exercising again. But still, once in a while the enemy tries to derail me. Luckily my Father is there with me even when I need one more step!

    • Kimberly
      August 28, 2012 | 7:29 am

      Wow! Way to go! And I am so glad we can call on the Lord for help with anything and everything in our lives…even exercise. 🙂 Thanks for commenting and sharing about your success and how you can depend on the Lord!

  3. Kathie
    August 28, 2012 | 11:32 am

    I am so with you here! I am 16 pounds above what is good for me yet here I am. If I cut back on food enough to drop the pounds, well, lets just say I’m not a good candidate for that. So what is left is exercise and I am so NOT fond of it! I so need an attitude adjustment. Thanks for sending me in that direction. I did do 20 minutes on my treadmill this morning — it’s a start, right?

    • Kimberly
      August 28, 2012 | 6:20 pm

      I say way to go on your 20 minutes! Definitely a great start. 🙂 Praying the Lord will keep us both motivated!

  4. Carol Hatcher
    September 1, 2012 | 9:40 pm

    Doggone it. Now I wish I hadn’t read this before heading downstair to enjoy my Snickers. Phooey. 😉

  5. Debbie
    September 9, 2012 | 3:42 pm

    Kimberly -how perfect this blog is for me! I was just going to bed and thought I’d check a few blogs and here you are. I have started working with awesome Katie at Dashing Dish for my new healthy food plans, but I am so dreading the exercise part! I know once I’ve done it for a month it will be natural to just to it but gosh working myself up to that month is hard! Thank you for saying and feeling what I am feeling right now-you have a great way with words!

  6. Barbie
    September 10, 2012 | 7:51 pm

    I can’t tell you when the last time was I exercised, besides a little walking. Seems like I am always making excuses, putting everything and everyone else before what I know is important. I know that God wants to help me, I just need to keep asking Him and then when He opens the door, walk through.