The Gym

I went to the gym yesterday
It wont kill me to skip a day
I wont instantly gain weight
So just let me go and play
Working out can wait

I lifted a few weeks ago

My waist line hasn't begun to grow
So what if I skip another day
Tomorrow, I'll surly go
Today, I am going to play

Its been a month or so

My Toneness has started to go
So Im deciding to save my fit body
Im skipping the gym no mo'
Tomorrow Ill lift devoutly

A few pants sizes higher
I am now an XL buyer
To the gym I no longer go
But, don't call me a liar
I can go work out tomorrow

That's coach Benji

     Before my mission, I went to the gym almost every day of the week. If anyone looked at me then or now, no one would be able to tell but that's okay. I went with one of my best friends named Benji. I hated that stinkin' kid! We were at the gym at 6:30 and usually only were there for an hour. But, there would be mornings where I would call Benji and say, "Bro, I'm tired...I worked late last night. And I think I might be getting sick..." Hoping he would stay home and then I could get some extra shut eye. Then, the brat would say, "Thats okay! I hope you are getting well. I wanted to lift with you today but I'm already at the gym so I can just do it alone." And like that he guilt tripped me and I was at the gym 5 minutes later. Or he would say, "Come on, man! You're starting to really progress in (whatever the area we were working out) you can sleep in tomorrow!" He wouldn't let me sleep in the next day. And then when I was at the gym he was my spotter. He would count how ever many lifts I had to do and then I was probably going to go into heart failure cause he would count like this. 1, 2, 3, 3, 3, 4, 5...acting like nothing had even changed. And then when I would be yelling at him to take it, he would make me do one more. And then one more. Until I dropped the weight and he caught it. Benji was also my personal dietitian which was even worse then my coach at the gym. He would ask me what I ate the day before and how many sodas I had etc. I would call him at times and ask, "Is this healthy?" Usually he would laugh and say, "Just cause it's in a salad doesn't mean it's good for you." I was driving to Idaho, it was a 6 hour drive and I was T.I.R.E.D so I called him and asked if I could get an energy drink. Cause I was probably going to die if I didn't...I thought my justification would work. Welp, it didn't. I came out of a store with fruits cause they provide "healthy energy". Psh. 

We thought we could push over
this tree, cause we lifted

     Even though I complained, whinned and complained some more, I loved the kid for what he did for me. The amount of excuses and justifications I gave him must have been down right annoying. How weak I am was probably fun for him to watch. And my lack of motivation to eat "healthy" was minimum. And yet, he stuck with me and for reasons I still don't understand, he was cheery about it! When I would drag my feet into the gym, he was perky and ready to get going! He was totally fine with carrying around my dead weight and getting me to do things that I never thought I could. I never thought I would have a gym pass. I never thought I could lift the amount of weight I did. I never thought I would order a salad over a burger and not ask for bacon bits. And then I came on a mission and lost everything I worked so hard for...I can repent about that when I get home though. 

     The thing is, he could have forced me to do a lot of things. He is a lot stronger than me and a lot more capable of hurting me then I could ever dream to do to him. Just like Jesus Christ. He had the ability to call leagues of angels to clean up that temple. He could have just winked at the pharisees and they could have been struck dead. But, He didn't. He allowed the people do what they did. Benji allowed me to skip the gym if I wanted to. He could have dragged me out of my house if he wanted to though. He asked me and invited me to follow him. Just like Christ did for everyone who came to Him. Even to His apostles He asked them to come, didn't demand, didn't force, just asked, "Follow me, and I'll make you fishers of men." (Matt 4:19) It's our choice to eat healthy or not. It's our choice to go to the gym or not. It's our choice to follow Christ or not. He won't force you to do anything, He will just ask.