Fellow Blog Post I Stole

I've been searching the blogsphere for other jazzercising blogs out there.  I honestly haven't found many but I did find this one.  It spoke HUGE volumes to me!  I have to post it because it speaks to some feelings I've felt, thoughts I've thought.

Jazzercising the Faith

Faith works a lot like jazzercise.  I know you're thinking about how crazy I am now, and that may be true, but let me make my point.   In my Bible reading this morning this is what I found, "Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy.  For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.  So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything." ~ James 1:24  Okay, so maybe God didn't exactly use the word jazzerise here, but you see the connection, I know you do!

So in a regular format jazzercise class, you get a 60 minute workout that consists of cardio and strength training.  Now sometimes, especially when I first started, I feel like the cardio is never going to end.  I don't think I can physically make it through.  There have even been days when I thought it was really going to kill me.  Then just before I do actually die, we move on to the strength training.  This portion puts to use weights, tubes, balls, and moves like my personal favorite ~ the dang plank.  The goal of this portion is to build muscles.  The process of building muscles involves the muscles actually being broken down.  By the end of some of the repetitions, I can feel my muscles weakened and fatigued, but at least I don't feel like I'm going to die anymore. 

Maybe that's not convincing you to come try a class, but perhaps this will.  I have seen great benefits from my jazzercising over the course of this last year.  My endurance has improved a great deal.  Those days where I feel like I'm going to die during the workout are coming fewer now.  I'm not perfect at it, but I can keep up way better than when I started.  I also find that I have more energy to keep up with all the children and young people in my life; playing doesn't exhaust me, nor does cleaning!  Just in general, I feel better and have more energy after I've worked out. 

And, I'm so much stronger now too!  I don't even have to ask for help when I want to move furniture around now.  I've moved my furniture up the stairs, back down the stairs, and up the stairs again all by myself.  And lifting a scared or hurt child now is a piece of cake!

The benefits of jazzercising far outweigh those brief moments of being uncomfortable.  Having my strength and endurance pushed and tested prepares me to take on new physical challenges and to succeed.

In the same way that jazzercise is making me fit, James is saying that our faith is made stronger when it is exercised.  He says to be happy even when we come into difficult times because God is giving us the opportunity to get stronger.  How can we trust Jesus more if we're never put into situations that require us to exercise that trust?

These verses pierced my heart this morning as I was praying for some friends that are being hit with a whole barrel of trials and heartache right now.  I asked God, "How much more can they take?  Isn't it enough already?"  And as much I would like to take the pain away from them, God wants to even more.  But He reminded me that He is exercising their faith.  And these precious people "will be strong in character and ready for anything" when they come through this. 

Heartache is just a part of life that we have to expect to happen.  When those times come, we can either use the opportunity to "jazzercise our faith" or we can just be couch potatoes!

Actual Link to Blog: http://heatherbreitenbach.blogspot.com/2011/07/jazzercising-faith.html