I worked out with a trainer this morning. It was free. And it made me want to throw up.

First of all, I’m no athlete. I’m a husband, dad and pastor who doesn’t want to be fat.

Second problem: he made me work my legs today. It took me about 5 minutes to make the 50 yard trip to my Jeep. I could barely walk, my legs felt like Jello, or rubber, or both. I experienced for about 30 minutes afterward what it must feel like to get old and have to creep around.

I won’t be hiring the trainer full time.
It’s hard to imagine that I would ever pay someone a lot of money to make me sick to my stomach and barely able to walk.

But I did learn a thing or two at the gym today with my torturer, Big Les.
Apply these to your walk with God, please:

1. Trainers make you do things you would never do on your own. I haven’t worked out my legs in 6 years. When I told him that, he said “Well, today you’re going to work your legs“. Crap. He explained that working your legs produces testosterone, leading to optimal strength gains, blah blah blah…

All I know is that I hate working my legs and only Big Les could have made me do it. Because he’s bigger than me and he told me to.

2. Trainers push you beyond what you think your limit is. If I ever did hire a trainer it would be for this reason. When I work out on my own, I quit when I get tired. When I worked with the trainer, I quit when he says quit. Muscle growth depends on pushing your muscles to failure. So the trainer forced me to grow.

3. Trainers make sure you show up. Any nominal exerciser like me (I only go about 3 days a week, 30 minutes at a time, on a good week) knows this is half the battle.

In 10 years of living for Christ, I have found I need people around me who can stretch me, push me, and make sure I’m showing up.

You need them too.

Go find someone to kick your butt to make you more like Jesus.