Those who know me probably have noticed a change in me lately - I know this because people keep asking me, "Why are you doing this?" I'm pretty sure they think I am crazy - and maybe I am.
What am I doing? Well, I've started working with a virtual trainer, Brian McMillan from Shutupeatclean and it has resulted in quite a few changes in my life. Now, to be honest, I thought I was doing this simply to lose a few (make that a lot of) pounds and try to fight back aging. I had no idea that I would be doing crazy things like walking six to seven miles with a weighted vest on Saturdays or exercising every day much less eating clean! Now that I've been doing crazy for a few months, I'm starting to see it's a whole lot more than just losing my 'middle-aged', okay - my 'old-aged' physique.
At first, I noticed that I was tired - but it was a good kind of tired. Getting outside and sweating to get in my steps each day felt pretty good, not to mention how much it helped clear my head to simply spend some time moving. As the walks became longer, I had time to listen to sermons and books that helped me think about things in a different way. Getting in those 10,000 steps each day also helped me step away from all that demanded my time and clear my thoughts. I found myself able to actually THINK instead of simply running from one thing to another.
Before long, I noticed I was standing straighter and walking with more confidence. I could bend over and pick up a pencil off the floor that a student had dropped for the hundredth time without it being such a huge chore and without getting aggravated - well, not as much anyway. I started feeling stronger both physically and mentally.
Instead of spending my time mindlessly vegging out on social media (come on - I can't be the only one that has had the little TikTok message tell me I'd spent a long time on there and needed to put it down!) I was sitting less! The chair that once sucked me in after work didn't seem to have the same suction power! And when I did sit down, I picked up my Bible more often. In fact, since I started all this crazy, my Bible study went from obediently listening to each day's devotion to digging deeper and actually studying! My hunger for good foods was paralleled by my hunger for God's Word instead of junk! This does not mean I don't occasionally enjoy a tv show or two or even spend a little time on TikTok - but there is balance now!
And now we get to the real reason for the crazy - something I'm only beginning to see that came from my study. In Daniel 7, (where my study has taken me) I came across a passage that referred to the one who was behind all the evil - and he was referred to as the dragon. My ears perked up immediately! Coach calls the people he works with "Dragon Slayers". Is the real reason I am doing all this crazy because God is reminding me we are in a battle? My enemy isn't flesh and blood - not even my own pudgy flesh or diabetic blood! My journey in this life isn't about me...it's about what God created me to do.
Now I'm not saying I've gotten it all together by any means - I have a long way to go! But in Daniel 7:25, it says that the enemy will "oppress" the saints. Oppress "literally means to 'wear away' or to 'wear out'. As a believer - one who trusts that God has a purpose for my life even if I don't see it - I recognize that I had gotten tired. I was worn out. My mind was telling me to just take it easy. It repeated over and over - "You're getting older, look forward to retirement and slow down!"
Maybe the reason it is so important that I keep doing 'crazy' is that I needed to recapture my health and thinking. I have an enemy that is trying to make me tired, wear me out, and get me to give up. But as long as God has given me time here on earth, I want to be a "dragon slayer", be it my own dragons or those that I encounter in the world.
So why do crazy? Because I truly believe God isn't finished with me yet and I want to be ready for whatever He calls me to do. I don't want to enter heaven saying, "I know You had more for me, but I was just so tired."
Come join me in crazy.
Photo by Trent Pickering on Unsplash
