Friday, February 12, 2010

Perception


Have you ever noticed how “perception” of time does not reflect reality? Take for example a 3 hour trip to an amusement park. You get in the car early in the morning and are excited about the prospects of the up coming day. The car is filled with discussions of which roller coasters you’re planning on riding and other favorites of the park. If you’ve been there before, there are even discussions of fun memories of previous years. However, after the day is done and you start the 3 hour trip back home, time seems to drag and it feels like it’s going to take forever before you can crawl into your bed. In reality 3 hours is 3 hours but it doesn’t “feel” like the same amount of time. In a similar way, after 3 years of unhealthy eating and lack of consistent exercise, a person might decide to want to get healthy again. If so, a 3 year trip back to health would seem impossible. In fact the 3 years would seem like eternity. But, in reality 3 years would be the logical and proper mindset to have. Thankfully the body usually can recover with healthy eating like in the Precision Nutrition program and intense exercise as seen on this blog, RossTraining and Art of Strength faster than the time it takes to get unhealthy. The apostle Paul understood that the concept of time on earth didn’t matter when compared to a person’s soul spending eternity in heaven or hell. In Acts 26:28-29 the Bible says: Then Agrippa said to Paul, "Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?" Paul replied, "Short time or long—I pray God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains." Paul knew that the length of time didn’t matter compared to the destination of a soul. Moses also understood the concept of time as stated in Hebrews 11:24-26 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. Whether you’re on a road trip, a trip to a healthier body or like all people a trip to your eternal destination I pray that you’ve confessed your sin and accepted Jesus as your savior. Here’s an exercise called the “Farmer’s Walk” that can be performed with dumbbells, suitcases or like me with hay hooks and metal plates. Do this for distance and I’ll guarantee that the return trip will “feel” like it takes more time.