Over the past year and a half I started taking a Pilates classes and learning some yoga at the Lake Wylie YMCA. It has been amaaazing. I love the instructors, the people are fun and I love love love love the class.Pilates helps me with some important things. It's an awesome core work out. It forces me to train different areas of my body that I don't focus on in strength training, I stretch more than I do in a week's time by myself, and I'm learning balance. Balance is a big thing for me, Most people favor one side of their body. I favor one side of my body dramatically because of injuries from a car wreck. This class has really helped me strengthen the left side of my body and learn how to balance myself throughout the day.
Today one of the instructors taught us a new pose. It doesn't look hard, until you try to do it correctly. This is my amateur Pilates attempt. You get in position, rise up on your toes, open your arms up and lean back (lift your heart). All the while, tucking in your booty, tightening your belly, dropping your shoulders and keeping your balance. It looks pretty easy, except when you have balance issues.
The best part of this class is that it is Christ-focused. My instructor is a believer and makes that a part of her class. Her comment when she showed us this balance pose was "I surrender all." I stood there trying to stay up on my toes, making little corrections along the way to keep balance, sometimes going down on my heels and popping back up quickly, As I leaned back and looked at the ceiling with my arms outstretched I thought of what she said. I was in complete surrender and vulnerable. Knocking me over would have been easy.
I started thinking about balance and surrender, but that's the wrong order. First you surrender: your heart, body, mind and soul to a living God. You are vulnerable and in complete surrender of your heart and life--you NEED Jesus. Then the more you surrender, the more you learn balance. Balance isn't easy. Like I said, usually you favor one side or another. Balance requires little and sometimes major corrections. Sometimes you have to hold on to the wall for support until you can let go of the wall. I'm pretty sure that like me, there are others out there who have already surrendered your lives to Christ but still have "balance issues." We struggle with maintaining our central focus on Jesus and we have to make corrections.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says, "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body."
You are not your own. Do you think that way? Do you see your body as a temple that you care for, love and preserve? Do you see your life as belonging to you or do God? Are you trying to maintain balance between depending on yourself and God? That doesn't work. God is it, you are not. The only way we can truly give an offering back to God is through glorifying Him. Shouldn't our surrender to Him change everything about how we think, live and act? Tough questions and thinking. Trust me, I'm not there or even close to getting it right. I'm just praying I remain in complete surrender,
In adoption news, we have a Chickfila Spirit Day, Thursday, April 23rd. Come to the Rivergate location anytime between 11am and 9pm. Make sure to tell the cashier you are there for the adoption event so they will save your receipt.
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