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When we moved to Lubbock we agreed we were going to join a gym. I had been working out fairly regularly in Arizona whether hiking, yoga, running or even just an exercise video off Netflix. I would, of course, lament the fact that I didn't have a "regular" schedule and always feel like I should be doing more. In fact for a few crazy weeks I was working out twice a day. An unhealthy practice for me on many different levels.

Anyway, we heard about a gym in Lubbock that had two pools for the kiddos, a rock wall, kids' gym, etc. It sounded perfect and we made the appointment to sign on the dotted line and become members. It was going to cost us $110 per month. That may not seem like a huge amount, but in our financial world it is 25% of our grocery budget. Ouch. I wasn't even at the gym yet and I was already in pain. Although we didn't say anything to each other initially, in the week leading up to our signing appointment Erik and I each had reservations about the time and financial commitment we were preparing to make. He was already working long days, sometimes not getting home until 8:30. I was balancing school for the girls, unpacking a home, adjusting to a new city and trying to squeeze in a few meetings and lunches with my new church family. We knew this was what it was going to be like in the first few weeks, maybe months, of our life in Lubbock. We were not only prepared for the demands on our schedule, we were excited and looking forward to the same. What a joy to see my husband wake excited for work each day and loving the work he was doing. It was fun to discover a new city and new routines with my girls as we navigated this interstate move together. However, I feared adding another time commitment to our life right now could cost us more than the membership fee each month. 

Ultimately we discussed joining a gym and realized that, for us, in doing so we would be poor stewards of our resources, namely our time and money.  Although I knew we were making the right decision, I was disappointed. An hour all to myself to workout uninterrupted has it's appeal, you know? But, my bigger disappointment, if I am brutally honest, was that I would not have the facilities necessary to finally achieve the flat abs and thin thighs I so desired to take on our vacation this summer. I would like to tell you that my desire to join a gym stemmed from my lofty goals of caring for the body that God gave me and to set a healthy example for my daughters. If I told you that though, I would not only be prideful, I'd be a liar too. No, it was not caring for the temple that houses the Holy Spirit that drove me to want to me a member of a gym, it was the temptation to be a member of the world wherein you are not valuable if you are not a perfect physical specimen. In His great mercy and infinite wisdom, God taught me a lesson and provided a way for me to resist temptation with an answer I rarely like to receive to prayer: No. 

So, now what? Do I start an extreme exercise regimen at home? Cut out all my carbs to offset my lack of treadmill availability?  Or do I simply give up, eat junk and resign to the fact that health will come later when I have more money? Um yeah, pretty sweet example for my girls, I know. Or, is this a prime opportunity to show them that health happens in their everyday life? Could it be that caring for our bodies is a daily act of worship that comes through our normal food and activity choices? On the day we were supposed to join a gym we actually spent three hours doing some pretty grueling yard work. We vacuumed and mopped the floors and folded a few buckets of laundry. We even found time to share a meal at the table of fresh sandwiches and awesome conversation. The girls and I walk Bella up to a pond near our home and play at the park. Erik is going to start playing basketball with men from our church each week and hopefully find time to golf. Today we had sandwiches and salads for lunch. And guess what? We aren't panicking about trying to find time to go to a gym to workout. We aren't even counting calories or cutting carbs (yay!!). We are simply making better choices, each day, each moment, in an act of worship and gratitude for this life we are privileged to live. 

I'm not saying that gym memberships are evil and that I will never join one. I may even still do an exercise video now and then. I guess what I am saying is that for me, for now, my "workouts" are happening in my daily routine. "Health" is happening when my daughters pick a new fruit to try or offer to make me a gourmet lunch of salad and fresh baked bread (yes, they really did this.) I want them to know that just as church isn't something that happens once a week on Sundays, health isn't something that happens once a day in a gym. I want physical activity to be their norm, and not some manufactured routine they couldn't fit into their day.  

So, alas, we are not members of a gym. But, I have discovered simply being a  member of God's family and taking care of my own family provides infinite opportunity for strength, growth and a steady diet of daily bread.

In His Service,