I hate working out. I hate watching what I eat. I always have, and I probably always will. Running, push-ups, sit-ups, weight lifting, none of it’s for me. I have friends who run half and even full marathons and then, get this, say they enjoy it. Don’t get it, and never will, as much as I respect it. The only positive thing I can say I feel when I exercise is a sense of accomplishment that I got myself off the couch to do something that sounded simply abhorrent to me. It is a good feeling, but not enough on its own to motivate me to do it again the next day.
Recently though, something happened that gave me a renewed motivation to suck it up and get healthy. I became a father. When I hold my daughter, I can’t help but look forward to all of the things that I’m on the edge of my seat to experience with her for the first time. I look forward to chasing her around the yard, to taking her to amusement parks and on hikes in national parks. I’m not a sportsman, but I even look forward to helping her practice shooting hoops, or batting, or fielding ground balls, whatever she gets into. But then I stand up and both my knees pop, and I’m reminded that I have lots of nieces and nephews that I can only chase for maybe 10-second bursts right now. That’s when it becomes apparent to me that if I don’t do something now to change, I won’t be able to keep up with my daughter for long. All of a sudden, getting off the couch and going on that run, or putting down that cinnamon roll, has become just a bit easier.
Becoming a father not only opened my eyes to some physical limitations I have, but also to limitations in my character and spirit. A day hasn’t gone by in the last 3 months that I haven’t chided myself for moments of impatience or selfishness or harshness, or countless other characteristics that I want to have no part in my fatherhood, let alone every other part of my life. It didn’t take long for me to begin to pray that the Lord would grow patience and kindness and gentleness in me.
You are likely reminded of the same scripture that He then brought to my mind as I prayed that. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” (Gal 5:22-23) Even as I was praying for these things, the Lord was reminding me that the work of the Spirit produces these and more in my life. Just as making progress in my physical health requires action on my part, making progress in my spiritual health requires something of me.
2 Corinthians 2:18 tells us that as we “contemplate the Lord’s glory, (we) are being transformed into His image..” When we intentionally turn our attention to Jesus, the Spirit works to make us look like Him. And it is through spiritual disciplines that we turn off the noise of the world and intentionally give Jesus our full attention. Or, as Dallas Willard says, “we can become like Christ by doing one thing – by following Him in the overall style of life He chose for Himself.”
At the end of the day, as I look at that grocery list that we find in Galatians, that’s what I come to realize. Whether it’s patience and gentleness as a father and husband, love and kindness as a pastor, or self-control in all things, I just want to be like Jesus. If I want to be like Jesus, I have to do the things He did. We have examples of Jesus practicing spiritual disciplines like silence, solitude, and prayer. We know He was raised a good Jewish boy, which means He spent time reading and memorizing scripture and would have practiced fasting. These things in themselves may not produce the fruits of the Spirit in me, but they focus my attention on the Lord and give the Spirit space set aside for Him to work.
Choosing a run over a nap, or choosing to fast to focus on the Lord’s provision has become easier for me, but they’re still difficult. I still choose to take the easier, more immediately enjoyable route on the regular. But rather than give up entirely, I try again. Willard (again) says, “the spirit of the disciplines is nothing but the love of Jesus, with its resolute will to be like whom we love.” Resolute. Never giving up. I’ll keep trying. And I hope that next time you see me, I look a little more like Jesus.
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