Trainers, hated and loved by many. Trainers push you past what you thought was your limit. Think about that. Many times we evaluate our lives and place limits on ourselves. We can only go this far, we are only capable of this much. We say so many times "O' I can't do that!" limited by our view of ourselves. This is when a trainer comes into play. They know the body better than we do, they study and know the actual limits. They tell us to keep on running, but our body is saying stop, but it actually is our mind reminding us about our personal limits. They know when it becomes dangerous for our health, again, they know our body and how it functions, it's their job, They know that pushing us is not going to injure us, but increase our strength.
God is our trainer. He knows us, He knows our actual limits. He knows what we can handle. He places us in situations that won't kill us, won't injure us (spiritually) but will increase our strength. He knows that we place limits on ourselves. We continually tell the Trainer, "umm...just to let you know, I cannot do what you asked... I am not able to, not equipped to.... (fill in your personal excuse). " We trust our limits and not God's. God is training us, He is working out our salvation. He knows when to stop, when to rest, and when to keep on going. As we obey, we become equipped. "to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of
Christ may be built up" -Eph. 4:12
When we are out of shape,working out, with the trainer coaching us- pushing us...we tend to stay focused on our pain. This does not help in any way. I noticed one day when running, that if I stayed focus on something (other than my pain) I would run better and longer. Once I stopped focusing on the one thing, if I noticed a person next to me running faster, or looked at my watch to see how long I was running... I would all the sudden noticed how my legs were hurting, I would breathe faster... My heart would race and in that moment I would quit running. Let's say I had a trainer next to me, saying not to stop... Keep on going. Honestly I think I would cry. I would argue with him, tell him I am too tired. I would start doubting my trainer, trusting my own knowledge and not his. I would wonder if he even cares about my pain, does he notice I am hurting?
God wants us to keep on going. Pushing past our pain, focused on our goal, focused on Him. That is why it says not to look to the right or to the left, but to stay focus on the price. Once we start comparing ourselves to others, once we focus on how long we have been in a circumstance, we loose our focus on God. We begin to complain, we notice our pain, we notice how tired we are. God cares for us. Again He knows our true limit. He does this to increase our faith, increase our strength. Do not doubt your Trainer. He knows what He is doing. He is working you out for your benefit and for His kingdom. At the end you will see the change in your life. But do not think that you just need to work out. Make sure you are feeding yourself the best food, get into the Word not the world. Have a diet. You may be able to run a couple miles, but if you feed your body the wrong food, you will not see changes. Keep on running the race marked out for you. Listen and trust in your Trainer. Eat right. And you will see that you are in God's perfect will.
"Father knows our circumstances, and if we will stay focused on Him, instead of our circumstances, we will grow spiritually-just as 'the lilies of the field.' " - Oswald Chambers, Matt. 6:28
