Wednesday, March 16, 2011

90-second Lesson

Sometimes it takes a while for God to teach me something.
I don't always like that. *Read that: I don't like waiting.*
Er, if I wasn't so stubborn and thick-headed, maybe it wouldn't take so long.
Whatever.

The other day, however, God spoke to me about an important lesson in 90 seconds!

I was doing planks as part of my workout and, since I just discovered I have a stopwatch on my phone, I was timing myself. During the first set, I held the plank for 60 seconds. The second time through, I held it for 75 seconds. The third time? I went for 90.
To keep myself from agonizing over the time, I decided to sing (In my head, that is. I cannot sing for real during a plank!) the first stanza and chorus of "How Great Thou Art," and wouldn't look at the stopwatch until I was finished. That turned out to be a good move. Took me to 75 seconds. *grin*
As I watched the final 15 seconds count off, my arms were shaking and I really wanted to be done. But I was able to talk myself into holding on juussst a liiittle looonnngerrr.
And when the timer said 1:30, I dropped.
I whispered to God, Thank You for helping me hold on 'til the end.
I was so pleased with myself for not giving up.
Even when I really wanted to.
And then it was as if HE whispered to me, I'll always help you hold on 'til the end. No, darling, I - Myself - will hold you 'til the end. I will be with you through every trial. Every struggle. Every pain. Every hard time. And when you feel like giving up, just remember how good it feels to finish. With Me!

*contented sigh*
I wonder what the lesson would be if I ever ran a marathon!
Soooooo kidding. I am NOT going there. *wink*

Karen

7 comments:

TheUnSoccerMom said...

You'll know I don't exercise much when I ask: what is a plank?

I'm about to "google" it! :o)

I have surrounded myself with songs of encouragement lately and songs with reminders that God is ALWAYS with me.

Abt the marathon... you never know! :o)

KAT . . . said...

I do the plank too ... sometimes -- not often enough. But you've encouraged me to get with it daily.
AND hold on to the end -- He holds us to the end -- GREAT insight. Great lesson. Thank you.

Holy hugs,
Kathie

gianna said...

First of all, the plank?
YUCK!
Second of all, you learn things a lot faster than me, so just be thankful that you catch on whether its later than you want to or not.

Karen Hossink said...

Jodi - Did Google help you? Essentially, a plank is when you hold yourself up on your toes and forearms, keeping your body straight. (As in, your butt isn't way up, and your back isn't arched.) It isn't too hard at first...LOL!
And, regarding the marathon...Yes. I do know. That will NEVER happen! *wink*

Kathie - The plank is not among my favorites. But it's a good exercise!
And when God uses something to speak to my heart, I tend to like it more. :o)

Gianna - OK, OK. I'm thankful. *grin*

Larie Carlice Proverbs 27:19 said...

Hi there Karen! I can attest to lessons being taught for long periods of time! It's not fun waiting, but once the wait is over I'm usually glad I did wait.

smooches,
Larie

Karen Hossink said...

Larie - Indeed. The wait is always worth it in the end. The process is just hard sometimes. *sigh*

KAT . . . said...

Not even depression and anxiety are too much for HIM. Amen?
Amen! What He's done for others, He'll do for you -- namely, this one.
Love to you too, My Friend.
And thank you for stopping by The White Stone and KAT's Meows today.
I'll be checking in on you,
Kathie