You’re 35 minutes into the workout. It’s hot. You’re sweaty. Those things called muscles feel awfully weak and your heart is about to jump out of your chest. Your perky instructor is telling you you only have 25 minutes left and all you want to do is sit down, or should I say… collapse?

If you’ve ever been to my classes, you’ll hear me say “Keep your chest lifted”, “Keep your naval to the spine”, and “Don’t forget to breath!” It’s my job as an instructor to keep reminding you of these key points regarding your form. Generally, you forget about them as the workout and fatigue sets in. If you stop doing the things I am reminding you to do, one of two things will happen (if not both!):

♦ You’ll risk injuring yourself or others

♦ You won’t reap the most from your workout

Injury. I know that when I’m physically exhausted at the end of a workout, I am more apt to trip or stumble. I start getting lazy with my weights and don’t hold them with correct form. I have to be very cautious or I may end up in way worse shape than when I started.The last thing I need is injury or to cause injury to someone else!

Not getting the most out of your workout. Who wants to waste 60 minutes that you typically don’t have? Not me!! There is something to be said for keeping your chest lifted through lunges, squats and bicep curls. Same thing with keeping your core tight through the same moves. If you forget to do these things, you are not getting the most from the workout. I want the biggest bang for my buck so I have to stay focused.

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It’s been 9 months. You’ve been asking God for wisdom about [fill in the blank]. You are tired of asking. You are tired of waiting. You are losing your zeal and energy about anything spiritual because frankly, you’re questioning whether God really cares or not. You stop praying. You stop seeking Godly counsel. You stop going to church. You….collapse.

There is no question that we grow tired in our spiritual journey. When we get tired, certain things start to lack. It could be our attitudes towards our spouses, children or friends, our focus for the eternal goal, or our zeal for God’s Word. When this happens you set yourself up for something very similar to exhaustion in the physical life:

♦ You’ll risk injuring yourself or others

♦ You won’t reap “a life to the fullest”

Injury. Have you ever said anything, regrettable, due to spiritual exhaustion? Maybe it’s not that you SAID something, but more that you said NOTHING when someone could have used your encouragement. Our words can injure people. Our lack of words can injure people.

Living a life half full. When we let lazy, tired form creep into our spiritual lives we won’t be reaping the most that we could. There are spiritual disciplines that help keep us reaping the most out of our life here and in heaven; serving others, praying for others, or offering something you have to someone in need to name a few. Do the others in these situations NEED you? Probably not. Someone else could come around and help, but YOU would be missing out on the wonderful blessing of helping others.

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10

Finally, you have to have people in your life to keep you reminding you of your “form”. My job as a fitness trainer is to be the eyes and voice to my students. I have to keep them focused on what they aren’t seeing. Do you have someone like that in your life? Unlike the picture below, it isn’t always going to be smiles. There are times in my class that I have to speak loud and clear if you know what I mean. It doesn’t mean I don’t care for my students less–in fact it’s opposite. I care for them so much that I don’t want them to risk injury or miss out on a full workout. Get a hold of a Christian friend and seek advice when you are tired. They will see things that you won’t!

Are YOU being someone like that to another person in your life?  If you are on the sidelines, get in there! We all need a little form reminding in our lives!

“From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” Ephesians 4:16