Gal. 6:9 wasn't written for gym goers. But it might as well have been. Whether we're trying to grow in grace or lose weight or build muscle or overcome a habit or become a better spouse, some incentive is needed for us to keep going. Paul recognizes this. The work of God in our lives is tiring, exhausting work, he says. We are tempted to "become weary" (NIV), "get tired" (CSB), "lose heart" (LSB), "grow weary" (ESV), "get fatigued" (MSG), or "become discouraged" (NASB). I thought alot about that during my workout today at the Y.
Interestingly, here in Gal. 6:9, Paul's answer to discouragement is based on an agricultural metaphor. (Had Paul once been a farmer?) If, he says, a farmer gets tired of sowing and leaves part of his field unsown, he'll reap only a partial crop. If he wants a full harvest, then he has to finish what he started and then wait patiently for the crops to appear. As someone who's harvested thousands of acres of horse quality hay, I can personally attest to the truth of what he's saying.
I know tons of people at the gym who know plenty about weight training but just don't go hard enough or long enough to get results. Then they blame their genetics. As a person who's struggled to build consistent fitness habits for most of my adult life, I've learned that health and fitness isn't only about intention. It's about showing up. Perfection is the enemy of the good. Something is always better than nothing. However, because we don't see the rewards immediately, we lose motivation.
I am happy to say that I've gotten myself to the gym 3 times a week for 3 years now.
My mantra is "little by little."
I just remind myself over and over again that all I have to do is stay consistent, and step by step I'll get to where I need to be.
Hopefully the same works for you. Basically, you just have to make peace with the fact that you won't see the gains happen. But they'll be there one day and catch you by surprise. You won't know when. You just have to keep going by faith and trust the process. 99 percent of the battle is just consistently going and doing something without growing weary and stopping.
Thanks, Paul, for the reminder.
