Fill ‘Er Up, Please

Isaiah 40: 29-31: “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.  Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those that hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagle; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to reach a point in life where you have arrived?  Where, say after you had sacrificed and lost 20 pounds, you could then eat whatever you wanted and stay thin?  Or, after having trained for months to run a marathon have the opportunity to sit on the couch relaxing, but still be able to run 12 miles whenever you felt like it without being winded? 

I know that when I sit around being lazy or if I eat a bunch of junk a few days in a row, I start to feel listless, lethargic, and become a very ineffective person.  When I fail to start my day asking God to be in control and give me what I need, I am crabbier and snap more easily at people about circumstances I have no control over.  I have no motivation, no energy, and no oomph in life. 

I think God planned it to work that way for a reason.  On the days that I get up early to spend time in God’s word before my family wakes up, I am happier and the common annoyances of living seem to bother me less.  I am more apt to hug my children, spread kind words to strangers, and look for opportunities to be a blessing in others’ lives.  On days I move my body at least 20 minutes first thing, I find myself consciously choosing to eat healthier, wanting to get off the couch and spend time in physical activities with my kids, and enjoy working around the house more.  I feel energized, motivated, and am actually able to accomplish much more. 

I think God purposefully made our bodies to need to refuel for one specific reason; if we were self sufficient, we would miss out on learning to depend on God first and foremost and we would also miss out on building strong connections with others.  We would turn our focus inward – becoming selfish, preoccupied with our own interests, and failing to reach the potential that God has planned for our lives. 

By constantly needing to be replenished, whether with physical exercise, nutritional food, or a one-on-one relationship with God, we learn to keep our focus where it needs to be; relying on God first, connecting with our families second, and then having the energy and motivation to turn outward and help fill a need in someone else’s life. 

Having come to that conclusion, there is just one thing I want to say: Fill ‘er up, please!