Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Notes from the gym and some clarification...

I need to clarify something about my Faith.  But first, I want to say...I love, love, love comments.  I love getting them, I love reading them, and I love hearing from people, regardless if their comments are positive or negative or completely in-line with my thinking.  Here's the thing....I don't quote the Bible.  I won't quote the Bible.  And while the Bible can be useful as a guideline for behavior, for me, it's not the basis of my Faith.  My Faith is separate from the Bible and I have some pretty contrary views on the book.  I think we should all actually think, really think, about the history of that book and how it came to be.  Thousands of years ago, several someones sat down and wrote each of the gospels.  In ancient Hebrew.  Many, many years later, when Christianity was brought into the mainstream, a bunch of men with agendas sat down and translated those gospels from ancient Hebrew to Latin.  And they put their own spin on them.  The Bible has since been translated many more times and each time, something more gets lost.  Without the original gospels and a deep understanding of ancient Hebrew, we can't know exactly what was added in, what was original, and what was flat-out lies.  So...the Bible is a useful tool and has a lot of great things, but my understanding of God and Faith is very separate from it.

I need to come clean now.  The gym stuff hasn't been going so well.  There's been an entire week-long break from it here and there.  I'm having a hard time finding the energy and motivation on some days.  I try on other days, but sometimes, my heart just isn't in it.  I've gained some weight back.  I'm not sure how much because I don't want to step on the scale.  I'm trying here and there, but it's just not enough.  I need to try harder.  I need to go back to getting in a walk each day, to making sure every single day has some form of exercise in it.  That being said, I have been making it to the gym the last week or so.  

The more I make it to the gym, the more I notice certain groups of people.  It's funny how alike people at the gym are!  They make not seem alike at first, but there are so many similarities!  Picture this.....a nearly 6-foot-tall woman with dark-blonde hair, pulled back into a tight ponytail.  She's about 50-years-old and in near-prime physical condition.  Another woman, same age-range, maybe 5 and a half feet tall, fluffy brown, shoulder-length hair, also in great physical condition.  They look so different and I'm sure if you met them, their personalities would be incredibly different.  But....similarities, aside from just the physical....they both dress in skimpy little outfits that show off their health.  The taller woman always wears incredibly short running shorts and a sports tank.  And the shorter woman...hides her legs with long yoga pants, but knots her t-shirts just below her rib cage to show off her stomach.  I find people so fascinating!  The hard-core runners who run around the track (and who I'm incredibly envious of....if only I could run without peeing my pants!).  The buff, well-muscled strength-trainers who lift weights.  The beef-cakes who just want attention, so they grunt and groan and slam weights down so people will look at them.  One of my favorite groups to watch are the pick-up men....the gym is like a buffet-line for them!  Only problem is....more often than not, the "dishes" aren't all that interested in them!  They wink and do the "hey, how you doing" thing and hope they'll get lucky.  They hop on machines in hopes of impressing the lady next to theirs only to have to hop back off when they're out of breath because they can't keep up with her.  It's so much fun to watch!  

I need to keep all that enjoyment in mind and use it to try to get my butt into the gym more often!

2 comments:

  1. Hi Cindy,
    Since I was the only one that quoted Scripture in your previous post, I guess it's safe to assume that the beginning part of this post regards me.LOL

    In my early 20's, I accepted Jesus as my personal Lord & Savior. At that time and many years later, I didn't think there was a reason why I would need to read the Bible, especially since I didn't understand it anyway. I thought my faith in Him was enough.

    A couple of years ago, I attended my first bible study, "Praying the Attributes of God". I wanted to enhance my prayer life with God. As I read the Scriptures that went with the study, they began to come to life. From that point on, I never looked back and have been studying the Bible ever since.

    The Bible is not just for teaching us behavior; it's a lot more than just a list of do's and don'ts. The 66 books offer hope, guidance and support in a world filled with hurt, disease, addiction, alcoholism, jealousy, pornography, broken marriages, death, etc... It's a book that helps us to build a closer relationship with God. It's a book to encourage and help us.

    The books of the Bible were written by many different men at different times throughout history. However, if you follow history, you can see the relations between the Bible and the historical timeline. Also, many prophecy's came true that are listed in the Bible. It comes down to trust. I can't prove that the Bible is true. Really, what is truth? What are we measuring the truth of the Bible to? How do you know that the Bible is not true? Maybe the Scriptures are close to the originals and haven't been altered. How would we know?

    I choose to believe God's Word:
    John 1:1 "In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God and the word was God"

    One thing that I can say is that through reading the Bible, I have grown so much in my faith. I've learned of God's love for me and have experienced it first hand through Andrew's diabetes diagnosis. I put my faith in a living God who speaks to me through the Scriptures.

    My prayer is that you will keep an open mind to the Scriptures. Read it, research it and see God work through it in your life.

    Many blessings!

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  2. Keep it up girl. I never go to the gym...I like working out from home. I am sure I would be a gawker at the many fascinating gym-goers though.

    As for faith...I believe in goodness. I am a bit messed up in the religion department. Too much "jumping" around from church to church when I was younger.

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