Same health club, same routine, but we were not ready for what awaited us this day. We hopped on our ellipticals and began our half hour journey to nowhere. As we’re walking, I begin to take inventory of those around us. First, I notice a man in front of us, probably mid-forties, in full business casual on the treadmill, he’s kick’ in it in what appears to be Sketchers, khaki pants with a belt, and a long sleeve polo. I give a head motion to Mary, and there’s instant laughter. Trying to gain composure, we look to our right and see a young lady on a treadmill, she’s wearing earbuds, gray sweatpants, a pink sweater, and a toboggan. The toboggan seems a tad strange, but it’s the fashion statement of the day, so we roll with it. What catches our attention is what happens next, within seconds after noticing her, she breaks out into full Michael Jackson on her treadmill. I’m now a tad stunned. Not to be a gawker, I look to the right of her to see someone who should not be wearing a two-piece workout outfit. She too is startled and staring at Michael Jackson in a toboggan doing her thing. Suddenly, as not to be outdone, she turns around backwards and attempts to run on her treadmill, thankfully this only last a few seconds, and she wisely decides to walk backwards instead. Don’t understand the purpose, but to each their own. Finally, trying to bring some semblance and normalcy back to the day, I look down our row to see a man going full speed on his elliptical with a towel covering his entire head…he sees nothing. Whether this is intentional we will never know. I continue to walk and think, I get the man with the towel on his head. My point in all this. Sometimes it’s just good to do your thing, keep on walking, and live for another day.
The Power of Consistency
I recently read of a feud between to neighbors in California. One got upset with the other over a landscaping issue and has proceeded to continually play the Gilligan’s Island theme song over outdoor speakers just below the acceptable decibel level of the city ordinances. There is now a lawsuit. The power of persistence is amazing. In Joshua 6, God tells the people to walk around the city one time each day, with the priest continually blowing trumpets. The battle plan makes little sense, but Israel’s consistent obedience brought an indescribable victory. Jesus speaks of a widow in Luke 18 who consistently asked a judge to grant her protection, she was so persistent that the judge says, “I will give her legal protection, otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out.” Want to know something else, God is consistent in His love for us. In Luke 15 we read the story of the prodigal son. While the son walked away from the father, the father never gave up on his son. Day after day he was watching, hoping and believing his son would return. In Luke 15:20, it says, “while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.” We have a God who consistently looks for ways to love us and show mercy and grace toward us. It’s important that we realize that when we are not consistent, when what we say and what we do at church does not match up in our daily life, the gospel and the power of the Spirit loses credibility. Live a consistent Godly life. Live it before your spouse, your children and the world you are called to reach.