Progress Can Be Hard to See

A few weeks back, my husband and I joined a gym. Well more accurately, he joined the gym and asked if I wanted to get a membership for just a bit more per month. My sister-in-law just ran a marathon and I'd been contemplating a 5K to give myself a goal to work toward. The only problem is that I HATE running. With a passion.

I wasn't sure if I'd use the gym membership, but I thought I'd give it a shot for a month and see if I could make it part of my routine. And the bonus with the gym was that I could do something besides run. Have you ever been on an elliptical machine? Those things are so cool. It's like running but totally not at all the same. I used to use one all the time when I went to a gym in high school.

Anyway, I've been going about three times a week for about three weeks now and I was starting to get discouraged. The number on the scale was supposed to be going down with all this hard work. Instead, I got on the scale this morning and I had gained two pounds. Grrr I've even done strength training the last three times I've gone.

Then I realized, working out is a lot like my journey with Papa. Things are changing and I am growing whether I can see the results or not. Today, while not easy, I actually ran most of a mile on the treadmill after having done a lower body weight routine and 15 minutes on the elliptical. If I had tried three weeks ago to do that, I probably would have come close to passing out.

Likewise, it is easier to talk to Papa today than it was a few weeks ago. Both my physical and spiritual muscles are growing despite the lack of obvious external signs. But I pray that if you were to take a look at me a few months from now, you would be able to see forward progress. And in that hope, I will continue to push myself to the gym a few times a week and spend time talking with Papa even when I can't see the results in the numbers on the "scale".