Reaching Your Personal Best

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." -Phil 4:13 (NKJV)

I often write and speak about the similarities between physically working out and growing spiritually. In a nutshell, "resistance equals growth". The more resistance (weight) we lift in the gym or at home, the stronger we become. Likewise, as we go through spiritual resistance (trials, tests, persecution, etc...), we grow in strength in our walk with the Lord. Case and point- an experience I had last year sometime when I hit a personal best on squats in the gym...

I always had a set goal in mind when it came to what I wanted to reach in my maximum squat. I had come close several times, hitting a slightly smaller weight total, and even tried my goal- but to no avail. Then I got some great advice from a friend of mine who was a power lifter. I changed a few minor things in my fundamentals- but what a difference they made! Here are 5 key points that will not only help you in working out (should you decide to go that route)- but most importantly, in your walk with Jesus:

1. Confidence. "Therefore let us come boldly to the throne of grace..." -Heb 4:16 (NKJV)
The word boldly here is the same word that means "with confidence". As I stood and looked at the weight on the bar before I stepped under it, I not only had to have the confidence that I could make the lift, but I had to come strong. That is the same way we should draw near to our relationship with Christ, with confidence- knowing that we are accepted as is and that He will only make us stronger.

2. A spotter. In weightlifting, a "spotter" is someone who stands near you when doing a heavy lift to help you just in case you can not do the weight or your own. He or she is there to assist when needed, to help keep you from getting hurt. In life, we can have several types of spotters- primarily our closest friends and family, accountability partners, and mentors. These are people who are in our lives to help us through the resistance when we can't make it ourselves, to keep us from getting hurt. (See Ecc 4:9-12) My friend stood behind me to not only encourage me before I performed the squat, but to stand ready should I need him to help me.

3. Foot positioning. Even though I had lifted for multiple years, I discovered after watching several professional power lifters, that they stood with a wider foot stance than I had done in the past. Turns our when I positioned my feet the same way, it helped my form and technique tremendously! "And having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace." -Eph 6:15 (NASB) Back in the ancient Roman empire, the foot soldiers wore hard, studded shoes, able to grip in the dirt and give them a firm stance while in battle. When we stand on the Word of God, we as Christians establish a stance on a foundation that can not be shaken, thus giving us balance and stability to not only withstand an attack, but to fight back and defeat our enemy!

4. Keep your eyes up! When performing a squat, one of the basic rules is to pick a spot out somewhere high or the wall or on the ceiling, and focus on it. This eliminates both the distractions around you and the possibility of falling forward. What do I mean by that? Well, basically, wherever your eyes are focused- your body will go that way. If I'm doing a squat but looking at the floor, my body will want to tend to go where the eyes are looking, thus I would fall forward with all of that weight on my shoulders. Huh, sound familiar? When we keep our eyes downward (focused on worldly things), we tend to lose focus and fall. However, when we keep our eyes fixed upwards on God, we remain still and can fight through the resistance. (Se Psalms 121:1-2 & 123:2c)

5. Keep your "core" tight. Your core is the middle of your body- your abdomen, low back, spine, and all of the stabilizer muscles that are in between. Without a strong core, you will never reach your maximum potential in working out. Think of it like this: if I have very strong legs and a strong upper body, but the middle (trunk portion) of me is soft and unconditioned, how can I possibly expect to handle a lot of weight on my shoulders and reach my squat goal? Could I do it? Probably- but I would be very shaky coming up and could get hurt. The final piece of advice my friend gave me before I performed the lift was to put ALL of my focus and attention on having a strong and tight core when I attempted my lift. I cut everything else out. I focused on my breathing and I tightened my abs- all at the moment of resistance. As followers of Jesus Christ- ALL of our focus, attention, and mind must be focused on Him. When Christ is our core (not our families, money, jobs, hobbies, etc...) and we put the emphasis on our relationship with Him, we will stand strong and firm when placed with that spiritual resistance on our shoulders! Just like He tells us in Matthew 22:37: "You shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind." (NKJV) Place Him as your center and everything else will stand strong.

Once I had all of these points in place- I placed myself in position to go for my goal. I stepped back from the squat rack, my shoulders supporting more weight than they had ever done before. I was ready. Down I went and without any help from my spotter, I rose strongly and boldly to a new personal best in squats! I had done it, I had finally reached a goal that had only been a dream before hand! Confidently I racked the weight and high-fived my buddy. Since then, I have done the same lift several more times. Did the weight (resistance) change? No- I am now more CONDITIONED to handle it. The same goes in life- some resistance will never change (dealing with difficult people, finances, stress, etc...), we just become more conditioned to handle it as we grow in our walk with the Lord. I pray this has been helpful for you. You may be going through the same trials and tribulations over and over right now, but are you growing or are you just getting beat up? No matter what, it's time to come boldly to the throne; surround yourself with a godly support system; stand firm on the Word of God; keep your eyes on Jesus; and make Him your core. If you do all of these things, you will become your absolute best in Him!