Sweat

Sweat. It's a "four-letter" word.....okay, it does have five letters, but you know what I mean, right? ;o) 

I do not enjoy the experience of sweating. I don't care much for sweat trailing down my neck. I do not like the feeling of sweaty hair plastered to my head. I cannot stand the feeling of sweat rolling down my legs underneath clothing. I detest the feeling of removing sickeningly-sweaty clothes that literally peel away from my skin. ** Shudder ** And listen, pulling a hairbrush through sweaty hair makes me want to squeal!!! However, even after stating all of the above, I must admit sweat is a necessary part of an effective exercise routine, in my humble opinion. Breaking a sweat is one the best ways to know if you're burning calories and fat. ;o)

It's one of those occasions when doing the right thing isn't the easiest thing, but it pays off in the long run, right? Now, why am I talking so much about sweating, you ask? ;0) Well, my two youngest girls and I have been memorizing Scripture this year and below is the first one we memorized.

"Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified. " - 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

This has been my year of getting okay with the sweat, both physically and spiritually. I told the Lord in January that I wanted a fresh revelation of the word discipline because I didn't feel like I had any! I wanted...

1. Discipline in my physical health
2. Discipline in my spiritual walk
3. Discipline in my reactions to situations
4. Discipline in my thought life.

Well..... I have found  that discipline doesn't come without a little sweat and I've got to just get okay with it! I was truly convicted that I wanted all the gratifying effects of the discipline, but I didn't want to do the work or feel the sweat to get there... Ouch! 

The honest truth is the sweat is part of the means to get to the discipline. The sweat removes the impurities from your body, regulates the temperature of your body and forces the intake of replenishing fluids. It doesn't feel good to me! It's uncomfortable and makes me squirm. Spiritually speaking - I know God is using His refiner's fire to burn away the impurities in me when I begin to feel the discomfort of the spiritual sweat. ;o) Circumstance often has to do with what makes me sweat spiritually. That's where the challenges to grow and learn and change unhealthy behaviors comes into play and it is WORK! Can somebody say "Amen!"? Sheesh.

There are days when I have to bite down hard to get my big fat mouth to stay shut, days when I have to grit my teeth and do something that feels so incredibly foreign, but is the right thing to do. Still there are days when I have to fight down an ungodly impulse so hard, I literally break out in a physical sweat! ;o) However, all of this work and feeling yucky sweat results in an accomplishment of reaching a goal. Not the ultimate goal of perfection, of course, that won't be till we are in heaven, but we can set smaller goals here on earth and our loving Father is so incredibly faithful to help us get there, isn't He? ;o) So, the next time you begin to sweat.... ;o)