I have a weak back. I injured it 10 years ago while working at Menards as a Department Manager for the Millwork Department. There were several factors that contributed to my injury but probably the most significant was that my core was weak (and it still is). I typically tell the story about how people didn't show up to work that day and how another person was late and how this morning was exceptionally busy compared to the previous morning. Truth be told, those situations only contributed to the results but were not the cause.
The real reason that my back was injured that morning was because I did not continually strengthen my core. I know this information is nothing new, right? Don't we all really know this stuff? It's like we have this nagging voice in our heads telling us to "eat less and move more" but we just put it off. Well, maybe you don't but I do. How many commercials do you see in a year that advertise that their new contraption can give us "rock hard abs"? It seems like we have an obsession for a strong core but how many of us actually do this?
I sustained an injury knows as a vertebral subluxation of the L3 and T5 (I think- close enough anyway). Those vertebrae were twisted and cocked at angles that caused me a LOT of pain. To this day, I can't sit in one position too long. Yuck.
After my injury, I had several treatments to help me rehabilitate towards some semblance of having a healthy back. During one of those visits I experienced something that really impacted my way of thinking and relating to a life of following after Jesus. Ironically, I have heard Erwin McManus tell a similar story as it relates to his own back injury and treatment which validated my experience.
Here was my experience...
I remember one particular appointment that I had with my chiropractor during one of my rehabilitation visits about a year after my initial injury. I was complaining of the usual lower back pain (L3) and he felt around assessing my back. After evaluating the situation by making noises like "Hmm" and "Uh huh," he then asked me to lay on my back and felt around on my stomach. That didn't make much sense to me. The pain was in my lower back. I'm not a doctor but I do know how to listen to others when they tell me where it hurts. What the heck was he doing?
Now this next part made me almost pass out. Almost. He zeroed in on one of my abdomen muscles and told me that he was going to apply "some pressure" to that particular area. For the record, his idea of "some pressure" and mine are nothing alike. He then proceeded to thrust his hand into my stomach as if he were going to reach up into my body and pull out my lungs.
It. Hurt.
I looked up at him timing this medieval torture method on his watch but I am sure he was just waiting for me to yell out, "Mercy! Mercy!" After what seemed to be an eternity, he told me the 30 seconds were up but that he was going to do it again and I needed to rest for a minute. Why is it at this point most doctors ask us how we feel? I wanted to respond that I was about to kick him in the throat if he did it again... but I contained myself by playing it tough and uttered, "Uh, that kinda hurt to be honest."
He explained to me that the problem was not with my back this time. My problem was that my core was weak and that I needed to strengthen my core if I expected to live a healthy life. He proceeded to clarify that without a strong core I would live a life characterized by chronic pain and physical suffering.
The same is true of our Spiritual lives.
See, my problem was not that I was lazy, slothful or misguided. I was an active, energetic, motivated, and focused person. My problem was that I did not intentionally invest the time and effort into developing my core to strengthen my entire being. The difference is trajectory. Best intentions that do not result in action are just the whimsical wishes of a dreamer. We need to exercise our faith through our actions which then leads to stronger faith.
When was the last time you actually worked out and it was comfortable? Haven't we all exercised and it resulted in some pain? Isn't the popular saying for people who exercise, "No pain, no gain?"
Why all this pain? It is because our muscles are getting torn apart and rebuilt. Likewise, our own Spiritual growth as followers of Jesus will probably yield similar pain and discomfort if we are serious about pursuing after Jesus with our entire heart, mind, soul and strength. God typically exercises our faith through repetition of circumstances that develop a perseverance in our faith muscles so that we can grow to become the whole human that God originally intended for us.
I've quoted this verse a lot here at CiD, but look at how James puts it...
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." (James 1:2-4; italics added)
Paul also had something complimentary to say about this...
"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize." (1 Corinthians 9:24-27; italics added)
We need to develop a Spiritual workout that brings us into close proximity to the God that made us as we pursue a life of faith in Jesus. We are responsible for creating the right type of environment to allow God through His Spirit to work in us and through us. That environment resides in our hearts and God uses the humble, seeking, and listening heart.
Additionally, I believe that it is beneficial that we know our strengths, personality type, and Spiritual gifts. It gives us a glimpse into the intricacy of how God put us together.
Here is how God has wired me:
Myers-Briggs: INFP "The Healer" or "Idealist" (personality assessment)
Introvert
Intuitive
Feeling
Perceiving
Golden: ENFZ (leadership and coaching assessment geared to discern career path)
Extrovert
Intuitive
Feeling
Organizing
DISC profile: I-Inspire (behavioral characteristics)
Influencing
Persuasive
Enthusiastic
Strengths Finder 2.0 (discovery of major strengths; identifies top 5 strengths)
1- Belief
2- Connectedness
3- Futuristic
4- Empathy
5- Individualization
Spiritual Gifts (a snapshot tool used to identify key Spiritual gifts)
Knowledge
Discernment
Teaching
Wisdom
Faith
Love Languages (the five love languages of how we receive love)
Acts of service
Words of affirmation
It is possible to strengthen your core Spiritually without knowing your strengths and personality type- that's not my point. However, it is far more effective to know how you are wired so that you may serve others and God well in a way that fuels you in your unique Spiritual giftedness. After all, our training should lead us to Jesus' mission for our lives; to rescue the hearts of mankind through serving and loving others because of our love for Jesus.
The real reason that my back was injured that morning was because I did not continually strengthen my core. I know this information is nothing new, right? Don't we all really know this stuff? It's like we have this nagging voice in our heads telling us to "eat less and move more" but we just put it off. Well, maybe you don't but I do. How many commercials do you see in a year that advertise that their new contraption can give us "rock hard abs"? It seems like we have an obsession for a strong core but how many of us actually do this?
I sustained an injury knows as a vertebral subluxation of the L3 and T5 (I think- close enough anyway). Those vertebrae were twisted and cocked at angles that caused me a LOT of pain. To this day, I can't sit in one position too long. Yuck.
After my injury, I had several treatments to help me rehabilitate towards some semblance of having a healthy back. During one of those visits I experienced something that really impacted my way of thinking and relating to a life of following after Jesus. Ironically, I have heard Erwin McManus tell a similar story as it relates to his own back injury and treatment which validated my experience.
Here was my experience...
I remember one particular appointment that I had with my chiropractor during one of my rehabilitation visits about a year after my initial injury. I was complaining of the usual lower back pain (L3) and he felt around assessing my back. After evaluating the situation by making noises like "Hmm" and "Uh huh," he then asked me to lay on my back and felt around on my stomach. That didn't make much sense to me. The pain was in my lower back. I'm not a doctor but I do know how to listen to others when they tell me where it hurts. What the heck was he doing?
Now this next part made me almost pass out. Almost. He zeroed in on one of my abdomen muscles and told me that he was going to apply "some pressure" to that particular area. For the record, his idea of "some pressure" and mine are nothing alike. He then proceeded to thrust his hand into my stomach as if he were going to reach up into my body and pull out my lungs.
It. Hurt.
I looked up at him timing this medieval torture method on his watch but I am sure he was just waiting for me to yell out, "Mercy! Mercy!" After what seemed to be an eternity, he told me the 30 seconds were up but that he was going to do it again and I needed to rest for a minute. Why is it at this point most doctors ask us how we feel? I wanted to respond that I was about to kick him in the throat if he did it again... but I contained myself by playing it tough and uttered, "Uh, that kinda hurt to be honest."
He explained to me that the problem was not with my back this time. My problem was that my core was weak and that I needed to strengthen my core if I expected to live a healthy life. He proceeded to clarify that without a strong core I would live a life characterized by chronic pain and physical suffering.
The same is true of our Spiritual lives.
See, my problem was not that I was lazy, slothful or misguided. I was an active, energetic, motivated, and focused person. My problem was that I did not intentionally invest the time and effort into developing my core to strengthen my entire being. The difference is trajectory. Best intentions that do not result in action are just the whimsical wishes of a dreamer. We need to exercise our faith through our actions which then leads to stronger faith.
When was the last time you actually worked out and it was comfortable? Haven't we all exercised and it resulted in some pain? Isn't the popular saying for people who exercise, "No pain, no gain?"
Why all this pain? It is because our muscles are getting torn apart and rebuilt. Likewise, our own Spiritual growth as followers of Jesus will probably yield similar pain and discomfort if we are serious about pursuing after Jesus with our entire heart, mind, soul and strength. God typically exercises our faith through repetition of circumstances that develop a perseverance in our faith muscles so that we can grow to become the whole human that God originally intended for us.
I've quoted this verse a lot here at CiD, but look at how James puts it...
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." (James 1:2-4; italics added)
Paul also had something complimentary to say about this...
"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize." (1 Corinthians 9:24-27; italics added)
We need to develop a Spiritual workout that brings us into close proximity to the God that made us as we pursue a life of faith in Jesus. We are responsible for creating the right type of environment to allow God through His Spirit to work in us and through us. That environment resides in our hearts and God uses the humble, seeking, and listening heart.
Additionally, I believe that it is beneficial that we know our strengths, personality type, and Spiritual gifts. It gives us a glimpse into the intricacy of how God put us together.
Here is how God has wired me:
Myers-Briggs: INFP "The Healer" or "Idealist" (personality assessment)
Introvert
Intuitive
Feeling
Perceiving
Golden: ENFZ (leadership and coaching assessment geared to discern career path)
Extrovert
Intuitive
Feeling
Organizing
DISC profile: I-Inspire (behavioral characteristics)
Influencing
Persuasive
Enthusiastic
Strengths Finder 2.0 (discovery of major strengths; identifies top 5 strengths)
1- Belief
2- Connectedness
3- Futuristic
4- Empathy
5- Individualization
Spiritual Gifts (a snapshot tool used to identify key Spiritual gifts)
Knowledge
Discernment
Teaching
Wisdom
Faith
Love Languages (the five love languages of how we receive love)
Acts of service
Words of affirmation
It is possible to strengthen your core Spiritually without knowing your strengths and personality type- that's not my point. However, it is far more effective to know how you are wired so that you may serve others and God well in a way that fuels you in your unique Spiritual giftedness. After all, our training should lead us to Jesus' mission for our lives; to rescue the hearts of mankind through serving and loving others because of our love for Jesus.
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composed by
dave
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