Weights, Cocoons, and struggles.

I just started working out today. I married a couple in our church and rather than paying me money he offered Tif and I a lifetime membership to the health club that he owns. It was very generous of him and we took him up on it. Of course this means that I had to use it. I have horrible will power when it comes to working out. I think because of the "work" in the word "workout". It is alot of work. You are in pain most of the time, and yet it is good for you. You do bicep curls and by the 4th one your arm feels like it is on fire, yet it is good for you. You do the stair master and ask yourself "how quick can I get off of this thing without the people around me thinking I am a wimp?" And yet, it too is good for you. I hope I start to become that one type of person, you know, that actually means it when they say, "working out is the best part of my day, if I don't do it, I feel horrible". I respect those people. I am not one of them.

I was watching a show last night, (on the one channel we get with rabbit ears) called "lost". It is about a plane that crashes and strands a group of people on an island in the middle of nowhere. This episode featured a character that was a drug addict and was detoxing. His friend had his drugs and would not give them to him unless he asked him three times. He was trying to build this guys character by making it attainable, but hard to say no. He used an illustration of a moth in a cocoon to encourage this guy. He said, "see this cocoon, it is a moth's cocoon. It is about to hatch, you can see the little hole at the top." He said, "I could take my knife and help this moth out by cutting a bigger hole so that he could get our right now. But you know what would happen? He would be too weak to survive or fly as he should. You see, the turmoil and struggle that the moth goes through in getting through the tough cocoon is what makes him strong. On the other side of the cocoon he is what he was intended to be."

I guess struggles are like working out and cocoons, they are good for us. That doesn't make me like them anymore. I wonder if the moth is continually cussing the cocoon while he is trying to get out? Or I wonder if he has thoughts of giving up, and not working on the hole today? Jesus' brother James in the first chapter of his letter said that we should rejoice in our sufferings. I guess James knew about working out and cocoons too.