Out of Shape

Hello Family,

The other day I was leaving Penn Station and decided to take the stairs instead of the escalator. It was about fifty steps. I started off fine but the more steps that I climbed, the more winded I became. Perhaps it was because I was wearing four inch heels, or that I was all bundled up to protect myself from the cold weather, or maybe it was the heavy bag that I was carrying that had me so winded. To be honest, it was neither one of those things. The simple truth...I was out of shape! Ouch, being honest hurts! LOL

I continued to walk up the steps. I was struggling to catch my breath however I refused to show any signs of my inward struggle to the outside world. I remember praying, "Lord, please don't let me fall out in front of all of these people." God honored my request and allowed me to make it to the top step. As I continued the two block walk to my office I made up my mind that I would walk up those stairs everyday until it was no longer a struggle. And I did just that! Now I can actually walk up those stairs in comfort. On a real good day, I can quickly walk up those steps while drinking coffee AND talking on my cell phone...all at the same time! (Hahaha) FYI...I haven't tried it yet but I will. :)

There are so many ways that we can be out of shape. So often we focus on the physical because that is the part of us that everyone sees. We look so good on the outside but on the inside we are emotionally out of shape, spiritually out of shape and yes some of us are even mentally out of shape. Our prayer life is nonexistent. We don't pray about anything but will react to everything!

Now that I knew how out of shape I was physically, it made me wonder if the same applied to my spiritual life. It is bad to be physically out of shape but to be spiritually out of shape is a disaster. Who would comfort me when I was hurting, if I didn't have a relationship with God? How would I be able to ward off the enemy's attacks if I could not see them coming? How will I help myself or others if I don't have a prayer life? How can I obey the voice of the Lord, if I can't hear Him?

Acts 17:28 says, "For in him we live, and move, and have our being...". Please know, to live according to this scripture we have to operate in the spirit because our natural man just cannot do it. Prayer is the key to taking our walk with God to the next level. If our prayer life is on point then everything else will fall in line. Now this doesn't mean that you will never have struggles but having a prayer life...having a relationship with God will get you through the struggles of life.

I come in contact with young people all of the time who tell me that they don't know how to pray. They thinking praying is this long drawn out event where you have to use big fancy words and the prayer has to be super long. This is not true. Prayer is simply talking to God however seems comfortable to you. I have prayed all types of ways, but what I've realized is when I am hurt the most, when I am really facing a difficult challenge, my prayer is summed up in three words....Lord, help me! It amazes me how God knows exactly what that means and He always comes to my rescue!

The benefit to having your prayer life in shape means that the line between you and God is always open. And there is nothing, I mean not one thing more important than having an open line of communication with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! So just like you take the time to go to the gym or prepare your healthy meal, also take the time to pray. While you move and switch things in your schedule to accommodate your family and friends, don't forget to make some time for Jesus. A little prayer goes a long way! After all it is the will of God that we flourish in every area of our lives!

I love you on purpose!