I was at the gym today, post three mile run, in the middle of an intense ab workout, when I suddenly thought “What if I have an aneurysm and die right here on this germ-infested gym mat?”
And then I thought… “that would be great.”
I’m sorry that I insist on giving you a glimpse into my strange daydreams from time to time, especially when they involve dying at L.A. Fitness, but it’s during these moments when I am reminded of the beauty of the Gospel.
You see, a few years ago I actually had a student whose mom died suddenly at the gym. I never knew her personally, but apparently she was a relatively young, healthy woman who died of an aneurysm while working out, leaving behind a husband and teenage children who were obviously stunned by her death. So maybe my daydream was not so strange after all…
Five years ago, the thought of dying at the gym… or anywhere… would scare me. I did not have my full confidence and hope in Christ, though I thought I did, and the thought of death was pretty terrifying, even though I knew it wasn’t supposed to be if I was a Christian.
Now when I think of death, I feel no fear. Instead, I think of seeing Jesus face to face. I think about slipping free from the grasp of sin and shaking off a lifetime of burdens and trading them all in for a holy, joyful and painless life with God. Death, in a way, sounds good. That’s not to say that I am perfectly comfortable around a lifeless corpse, but when I think about a soul ascending to paradise with the Father, a corpse doesn’t seem as intimidating anymore.
This week I’ve been reading through James – a book that begins its first chapter with the command to “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds” {v.2}.
Count it all joy.
But how?
The idea of counting trials as joy used to seem impossible. I knew I was supposed to be joyful in all circumstances, in theory, but I often found myself asking: “Really God? In pain? In confusion? In discomfort? In injustice? Count is as joy?”
But now I do count it all joy. When I look back on some of the trials that have gotten me to the place where I would be happy to die on gym mat with onlookers from the cardio machines, I count it as joy. Thank you, God, for any and every trial that has increased my faith in YOU.
Because the command comes with a promise:
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,
for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness…
James 1:2-3
Trial produces a steadfast faith. Trial produces a faith that says “I don’t really want to die in an L.A. Fitness, Lord, but I would be filled with joy if I do, because then I would get to see the object of my faith, Jesus, and there is no greater joy than that. A faith that says, “This burden is heavy, but that means I will be filled with even more thanks and praise when I heave it off my shoulders in the Kingdom come.” A faith that says “Even when material possessions or my health are stripped away, I can praise You, Father, because of the sweet reminder that my imperishable inheritance can never be stripped away, stolen or destroyed.”
This is faith. Found at the gym on a sweaty mat.
|Linking up with Casey|
I think I felt this the most after the Newton tragedy. I just thought– Jesus, there is nothing in this world! everything is fleeting (so ecclesiastes of me.) And yet, I am called here on this earth and as I am here I will pursue what He puts in front of me– but there are days when heaven is what I long for.
I'm just getting to the point in my relationship with Christ that I am not afraid of death any more. It's a kind of joy and peace I have never experienced before! Thank you for spreading a little of your joy in to my day. Have a great weekend!
I love this post. I fly frequently for my job, and the thought of "what if the plane went down?" used to disquiet me a bit – as Christ has worked assurance in my heart, I now have the same sentiments you capture in this post. Thanks for sharing!