I like to lift things up, then put them down. That is to say, one of my absolute favorite things to do is going to the gym. It's a time where I can continually and consistently challenge myself to the brink of my capabilities, feeling the strain of each and every rep along the way. It's intoxicating. When I train, I have a specific goal in mind for each day as to what body part I want to focus on and how I want to accomplish the best results. For instance, one of the staples of my regimen is always training the largest body part first if I am hitting more than one muscle group in a single day. This is important because it allows your body to produce a higher amount of naturally occurring growth hormones than it would otherwise. In a nutshell, you'll gain more muscle that way.
But wait, there's more! Interestingly, when working out you are putting your body into a catabolic state. That's a fancy way of saying that there is actually a break down of muscle. You might be thinking to yourself, "How in the world do muscles get bigger then?!" Well, here's your answer: muscles are broken down in the gym, but are built up over the coming hours and days by introducing your body to the necessary amounts of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, as well as allowing your body to rest. This influx of macronutrients helps to gain muscle mass by putting your body into an anabolic state. Anabolism simply means to build up or synthesize - a handy and much needed biological process. If this were not to occur, then we would pretty much waste away and die. That wouldn't be very fun. However, if we are consistent in turning our catabolism into anabolism via a proper diet, then health, strength, and aesthetics are in your future.
It's crazy how God has placed all these biological processes together in a way that allows us not just to survive, but to thrive. However, there's an even bigger picture as to how all of this relates to God. Going to the gym, putting ourselves through intense pain and suffering, and feeling the effects for days afterwards is much like how God uses tragedies and misfortunes in our lives that break us down. The initial pain hurts, the thoughts of failure or mourning linger, but God was not haphazard in planning our discourse. Since the beginning of creation He knew the parts of our lives that needed to be worked on, so He allowed pain in those areas to render the best possibility of growth. What's even better, He gave us nourishment to produce an anabolic faith. The Bible is actually food for our spirit, giving sustenance and replenishing us. This is to say, when we are fraught with pain and fear, that is the precise moment that we are to turn to God and His Word. There is no better nourishment than that. What it produces is a healthy revelation of God's sovereignty and power, strength through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and positive attitude of love no matter the circumstances that ultimately glorifies your Creator.
Perhaps the last thing most people want to do when faced with pain is to look for the appropriate nourishment. Many would be content with dwelling in the negativity of the situation. However, this is exactly the opposite of what God wants. He wants us to turn to Him when it's the hardest and He seems so far away. He wants us to seek out an anabolic faith amidst the pain. Hence, when we focus and have a well thought-out directive, results will occur. It is when we consistently turn to Him over and over and over again that we become so much more than what we once were. Continually we are renewed, being shaped into strong vessels of Christ that can do more than just withstand the pain - now we've been given the strength to lift others up as well.
Friends, let me leave you with the words of Paul: "for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil" (Hebrews 5:13-14).
With love.
