Spiritual Training Cycle: Perspective (wk. 13/13)
When someone tries CrossFit for the first time, they’re not what I would call a CrossFitter. At least not yet. To become a CrossFitter, you must pass through some checkpoints. You need to level up if you will. It starts with finding a gym community, then the class you’ll be a part of. Cause you know those early am and late pm people are like oil and water. Once you’re nestled into a class, it becomes about consistency. More than just working out, you’re doing life with your crew. They’re getting to know you and you’re getting to know them. Oh, and then there’s the gear. While it’s impossible to say with certainty that all emerging CrossFitters start with a new pair of shoes, most do. Next comes a jump rope, some bar tape, a few gymnastic grips, another pair of shoes, Olympic of course. Before you know it, you’ve got a weight belt, wrist wraps, and you’ve put the Rogue CEO’s kids through college. And you can’t just carry all these essentials into the gym by hand. Nope, you need a bag. The bag is the hallmark sign of a CrossFitter. The bag isn’t just a receptacle for all your gear. The bag gives you an advantage.
I think it’s healthy for athletes to look for advantages. These are the hacks that help you squeeze the most out of the work you do. They propel your fitness journey forward with greater velocity. Advantages come in a wide variety. You’ve got nutritional supplements, pre-workout and post-workout hydration products, chalk, sweatbands, even your favorite spot in the gym where the fan blows just right is an advantage. I could go on and on. Your gym bag is loaded with them as well. All advantages essentially do the same thing – they provide an athlete the opportunity for optimal performance.
When it comes to our spiritual life, God provides advantages as well. One of these is humility. Humility is meekness, lowliness, and absence of self. It is an inward heart attitude that expresses itself outwardly in how we treat others and view ourselves. Humility is how we approach God. When we recognize that our selfishness and self-centered ways can’t be resolved on our own, we begin the journey of humility. Humility is an advantage. One of the ways we define humility is the word, “meekness.” You may think that meek people are weak people but not necessarily.
Meekness is not weakness.
Jesus has something to say about meek people. He says, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5). The idea of meek Jesus is referring to is like controlling a stallion – reigning it in as the horse submits to authority. Meekness is not weakness. It is power under restraint. Think of all the things you gain by restraining your power. Think about what you gain when you restrain the power to be right or to be first or to be rude. Think about how you light up a room when you restrain the power to be the center of attention or to be prideful and self-centered. You are gaining more advantages than you realize simply through humility.
God gives us all the freedom we need to live our best lives. Our best life is one lived within His power and not our own. Humility may look like weakness to the world, be we know what the world doesn’t. Humility is our advantage.
Questions for Reflection:
How was humility an advantage for Jesus?
How is humility an advantage for you?
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