When You Just...Can't
We have all been there...the squat set that you do when you just don't think you can do one more round...the leaps you do when your legs feel like noodles...the push up you can't wait to finish because you just aren't sure you have even one more in those arms of yours. Yes, it's familiar territory but what about when it's not your body that is tired but your spirit? What do we do then? Where do we go and how do we recharge when we feel dry and weary?I don't exactly have an answer for this question. I have lots of thoughts about it, cliches that might work, and some Facebook memes that would apply but that doesn't exactly get to the heart of the issue. Exhaustion is a real thing, we all encounter it...but how do we overcome it?
Lately I have been surrounded by those who are exhausted. Mommas who are weary from battles with or for their children...friends who have waited too long for things to happen only to have to wait in anxiousness even longer...sisters who are tired and ready to step back and let other, younger women take the lead...young sisters who are carrying the weight of sick parents and young children all at the same time. Life can feel so heavy and sometimes that heaviness can feel like an insurmountable burden.
So where do we go to get refreshed? Jesus, right? Jesus is always the answer in church, Sunday School and Body & Soul. So yes, Jesus. But what about Him do we need when we feel overwhelmed, burdened, and tired? Jesus is all of the fruits of the Spirits rolled up into one: He is Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Gentleness, Faith and Self-Control. He has those in abundance and quite frankly, I would love to always land on love and joy. But sometimes I need something else...sometimes I need the Suffering Servant who shows me in the Garden that I can pray until I sweat blood on behalf of the suffering I see around me. I need to know that the Jesus who went into the desert to fast and pray for 40 days sees me and sees you in the desert and He knows the temptations that are coming our way and He stands with us in the temptation and the suffering. We do not suffer alone. We are not left to our own devices. He will make a way in the desert. He will bring water out of the rocks we find ourselves hemmed in by and He will provide for our thirst right out of the rock if need be.
So whatever it is you are facing...those things that feel impossible, press on sisters. You do not go alone. Jesus is with you even in the driest of places. He will make a way in the desert. He will refresh your very soul. Press into Him and be renewed. His love will put you back in action.
Tracie Durham is a Cardio Strength Trainer for South Central. She is a former attorney, full-time home schooling mother of three kids (Abbie, Aubrie and Charlie), wife of a Fire Chief (Phillip) and unabashed fan-girl of "all the words" and mostly importantly...of Jesus. Tracie teaches Body & Soul Fitness at Cornerstone Bible Fellowship serving Sherwood & North Little Rock, AR.Body and Soul® Fitness is an international Christian fitness organization that trains and equips instructors to lead a variety of group fitness programs including choreographed aerobics-style Cardio Strength & Flexibility™, cardio dance style Dance Blast™, free-weights-focused Power Strength™, boot camp style FIT360™ and Longevity FIT360™, and GOLD™ - lower impact programming for participants that are pregnant, have weight challenges, injuries, or other medical conditions. These exercise classes meet in church gyms, community centers, gymnasiums, parking lots, schools, etc. across the United States, Europe, and Africa. In-person and virtual fitness classes are available.
Key words: Christian fitness, women's exercise classes, group fitness, dance aerobics classes, Christian group fitness, Christian fitness app, FitTV, Body & Soul, Body and Soul, fitness instuctor training, low impact exercise
