A part of myself I don’t discuss much is my love for being active. After my prayer time in the morning, I go to the basement to exercise. In each video I watch, there is an instructor, and beside the instructor there are always a few other people. One of them is a modifier, and another one is a person who intensifies the exercises. These options are provided we can follow the person who will best meet us, and lead us, where we are physically.
I am someone who loves to challenge myself in my workouts and for the majority of my life have tried to follow the person who intensifies the exericises. Yet something I have had to learn about myself is that even though I may be able to intensify my workouts, often when I do, I lose the integrity of my form; which has contributed to injuries over the years. The past couple of months, I have chosen to be honest with myself about what I really need, and that is to go at a pace in the workout where I can maintain integrity in my form. When I teach classes I say this, but the reality is, I haven’t always practiced this.
It is not easy for me to know I can do more and not do it. I am learning that just because I can do something, does not mean it is beneficial for me to do.
I share this with you today, because often in our lives, we are presented with various options or paths to take, offline or online. Some lead us to having greater integrity, and others lead us away from living with integrity. I invite you to join me to…
pause. breathe. pray.™
Just because we are able to do things does not mean it is beneficial for us to do. May we pray and ask God to take away any pride in us that is in our way from seeing the wisest path for us. May we choose to humble ourselves to the reality of what we really need to do, and then choose the path that will lead us to living with greater integrity. When we do this, as I have done in my workouts more recently, it will not only benefit us now, but will benefit our future selves too.
With love and hope,
Shawn
Whoever walks in integrity walks securely. - Proverbs 10:9