“Now it is quite true that there will probably be no occasion for just or courageous acts in the next world, but there will be every occasion for being the sort of people that we can become only as the results of doing such acts here.” C. S. Lewis
Whoever thought of exercise as a courageous act? Certainly not I. Courage is for heroes.
And what is hero anyway? Isn’t a hero someone who puts others before himself?
One of my favorite heroes is not a real person. In the stories I have read, he was a hero disguised as a ranger. His name was Strider and he was not at all what he appeared to be. He entered the story at a most opportune time and much to the relief of the little fellows he laid down his life to protect. Of course, he didn’t look much like a hero. With muddy boots and a dark green hood that cast a shadow over his face, he was mysterious and unwieldly. He convinced his new hobbit friends that they needed a guide—and so they did. Thus, readers were introduced to a king in the form of a servant.
“I am older than I look. I might prove useful. You will have to leave the open road after tonight; for the horsemen will watch it night and day. You may escape from Bree, and be allowed to go forward while the Sun is up; but you won’t go far. They will come on you in the wild, in some dark place where there is no help. Do you wish them to find you? They are terrible!” – Strider
There are many heroes to choose from in The Lord of the Rings stories. I have always been taken with the quiet strength of Sam Gamgee but I find Strider a most beautiful representation of true honor. He was a king—the rightful king of that land—and knew what it meant to sacrifice for the greater good.
In my youth I wanted to be a hero but I had no concept of sacrifice. I lived for the moment and for Queen Me. I was self-indulgent, greedy and deceitful. Of course, I pretended to be brave but my words (gossip!) and my thoughts (vanity!) revealed the shell game. Liars chase lies with more lies like a drunk chases drink. We always think this one will be the last. Unfortunately, the people we lie most to is ourselves.
Now maybe you are thinking, what does this have to do with exercise? Well, Dear Reader, I’m glad you asked.
Physical activity requires courage—especially if one has long been inactive. Exercise is painful and—let’s be honest—fearful. It doesn’t always feel good and there is not usually an immediate reward. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned after losing weight, it is that exercise is worth the pain. If one can be mobile, one should be mobile because our purpose is far greater than living only to ourselves. We live in community and the people around us need us just as much as we need them.
I need look no further than my own neighborhood for examples. The elderly couple across the street is not able to rake leaves. The woman down the street has MS and at times can barely move. Others can’t walk, drive or leave the house. Even if they have resources, they need somebody who is able bodied to help with any number of household tasks. Some will say it’s not my responsibility but I don’t think that is true.
Exercise is my way of keeping my body in shape so I can help others. Eating foods that nourish my body instead of poisoning it is my way of rebelling against a selfish, self-indulgent lifestyle. It takes courage to abstain from ice cream, cookies and my mom’s homemade fudge—just as it takes courage to keep my tongue from speaking lies or gossip.
So, no. I’m not trying to kill you. I simply want to peel back the curtain to show you that there is more to life than you. If you are reading this and know you are overweight, it’s time to do something about it. Stop making excuses. Excuses are for cowards. I know because I once was one—and at times—I still am. By God’s grace I am learning to face my fears and correct the toxic behaviors that make me less human.
“So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” James 4:17
“For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.” Hebrews 10:26-27
I follow Jesus—not because it is easy—but because He loves me. I know he is the only way to peace and joy. He came to set me free from sin, and when I surrendered my life to him—yes, especially the food I put into my mouth and the quantities thereof—he rescued me.
Strider’s real name was Aragorn. He accompanied Frodo, Sam, Pippin, and Merry on their journey to destroy evil. He served and protected them at great cost to himself—not unlike the way Jesus walks with and protects me. He gave me the courage to walk around the block at 310 pounds, and again at 305 pounds, and again at 170 pounds. I still rely on his grace and mercy to keep me from consuming those foods that poison my body and would hinder me from doing the work I need to do for his kingdom.
“We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin.” Romans 6:6-7
Exercise is an act of obedience. For some people—like me—it is not natural and comes at a high cost. But if this simple call to care for the only body I get for my whole life is God’s will, who am I to argue? He has a plan and a purpose for me far beyond what I can think or imagine and I don’t want anything to hinder it.
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