By Lane McGullion
I learned a valuable lesson recently – never trust a pastor that says “Hey, can you help me with an illustration?” At least, be sure to ask questions before blindly agreeing. The venue for this life lesson was a father/son camping trip. Our Minister to Adults was slated to give the devotion that night. He asked me that fateful question and I said, “Sure, whatever you need.” Oh boy, was that a mistake.
We all gathered around the campfire that night with our sons, who were much more interested in finding anything remotely flammable to throw in the fire. After coaxing the budding arsonists away from the flames, the devotion began. The topic was about building “spiritual muscles.” That’s when I started to regret not asking more questions.
Our Minister to Adults asked his five volunteers to join him near the campfire and form a line. At the count of three, we were instructed to get shirtless and give the group our best Mr. Universe “pose down.” Before anyone had time to object, the countdown began. Shirts started flying, so, of course, I had to play along.
I’ve never been mistaken for Arnold Schwarzenegger, so this kind of activity was sure to open me up to some light-hearted ribbing. Well, let me tell you, Arnold would have been proud of our effort. You’d have thought we were all seasoned bodybuilders. Muscles clenched, faces grimaced, and the crowd went wild.
Fortunately for me, our speaker had also chosen an older gentleman to participate and he stole the show. He was wearing a wooly sweater and when he took it off, well, he was as wooly as the sweater. I don’t know if bodybuilding has a senior wolfman division, but this guy would be a shoo-in.
The idea behind the illustration was that guys spend a lot more time focused on physical strength than building spiritual muscle. Paul puts the two in perspective – 1 Timothy 4:8 says, “For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.”
According to Paul, we shouldn’t neglect the physical; it’s perfectly fine to hit the gym and get in shape. however, the time we spend building our physical bodies should pale in comparison to the commitment to building our spiritual strength.
Hmm, I wonder what a spiritual pose down would look like. I’m going to think on that for a while so I can get the mental image of the geriatric Sasquatch out of my mind.
Father, help us to spend as much time concerned about our inner selves as the outer.
Allow us to see our bodies as the temporary shells that they are.
Give us a passion for building the spiritual strength required to serve You and bring You glory. Amen