In the same way
You might think I have learned all I could learn from the “I had surgery on my foot” story..
but no.
There is more….
This week I returned to what I would call, fairly regular exercise.
We kicked it off with a walk on Monday night after work, followed by returning to exercise class several nights this week.
With two months absence and a new fall schedule of classes, I am not only behind physically;
the whole workout routine I was familiar with has been replaced by some kind of combination of Zumba, kick-boxing and Army boot camp maneuvers that left this middle-aged, uncoordinated and slightly handicapped-because-my-big-toe-still-doesn’t-actually-bend-in-a-normal-way woman seriously wondering if perhaps she needed to exercise her rights to freedom and just walk out of class. (how’s that for a run-on sentence???)
At one point, the entire class dropped parallel to the floor, balancing only on their hands and toes as they alternated pushups and planks with rotating their bodies in complete circles…
ON THEIR HANDS AND TOES….MIND YOU
So basically – a pushup but moving around in circles…that went on for basically, an eternity.
yeah
Because even on a good day with 10 healthy toes…this would be a challenge for me.
So there I stood, much like a flashback to high school PE…
like a sore thumb in a sea of athleticism kind of considering bailing…
when our instructor caught site of me and signaled her assistant.
Immediately he rose to his feet and began a modified exercise for me to follow.
As I watched and followed the maneuvers, suddenly I didn’t feel alone or ridiculous or failing…
I felt empowered to continue the work I had set out to do.
And I thought to myself…
what a picture of parakletos…
the Holy Spirit
the Helper
the Comforter
the Advocate
sent by God.
The Holy Spirit is the One that our God sent to us because He knew we could not walk this thing out in the brokeness of our humanity…
But the Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will help you remember everything that I have told you. John 14:26 AMP
When the Spirit of Truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. John 16:13 NLT
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper,[a] to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. John 14:15-17 ESV
Often in this world today, I feel much as I did in class last night.
Standing in the midst of a large crowd all doing the same thing, I stand alone…
helpless to know what to do…
and in this case, it is not that I want to join in but that I want the crowd to know my Savior so they too can stand firm and strong in Him who died for them.
But I am weak and broken and flawed in myself…and so I am most thankful for this other gift of our parakletos.
For I, in my own human frailty….
do not know how to pray…
in power and in truth…
and so the Spirit intercedes for me…
giving to me the prayers of the heart of God…
sometimes in words…
often in tears…
in sobs and groanings…
so that I can pray His mind…
His strength…
His comfort…
His transforming love…
His mercy…
His grace…
His power…
His forgiveness…
His healing…
His restoration…
His justice…
His kindness…
over
and
into
and
around
a hurting and dying world.
Romans 8:26…my paraphrase <3