It can’t be this hard

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I looked at my iwatch. “Seriously!” It was blinking orange. “No way. I should be in the red zone by now.” Red was flashing across the monitor for everyone except me. My heart rate was still in the orange zone. I was pedaling as fast as my thighs could churn as still my heart rate stayed in the orange. “It cannot possibly be this hard to get my heart in shape.” I was starring daggers at my spin class instructor. Finally, my iwatch flashed red. My heart rate was 175 and I had a little broken heart icon in the upper right corner. I ran into a friend on the way out of the gym. “Are you okay? You sure are red faced.” “Yeah,” I replied. “My spin class trainer just about killed me.”

I could barely walk across the parking lot to my car. My legs felt like limp noodles. I wasn’t sure I was going to make it. I looked at myself in the rear view mirror. I did look like the Marvel comic character named Red Face. “What was wrong with me this morning?” I was ready, set and determined this week. I had just got in my new heart rate monitor and I was pumped. This spin class I was going to stay on target and keep my heart rate in the correct zones, but why was my red zone so high? I wondered. I thought I set my profile right. Something kept nagging at me. “Check the settings.” Operator error. I suffer from that quite often. Instead of 9/11/61, I set my birthdate to 9/11/81. That’s just one year older than my daughter. Then I thought I had clicked female, but it turns out I was a male. I then clicked auto calculate. Boy did that make a difference. I should never let my heart rate get above 164 and my orange zone is no higher than 152.

I’m still recovering from that ride.

I look back over my life and see that my walk with the Lord mirrors my spin class. My legs are spinning but nothing much is getting accomplished.

Isn’t that where we find our relationship with Jesus sometimes? We strive and struggle. We aim for the do’s and don’t’s of a religion, and all the while we are just spinning needlessly. The road behind is empty, flat and void of fruit trees. It cannot be that hard to be a follower of Jesus.

Jesus says, “It isn’t.” Sometimes we have the wrong numbers calculated and we are aiming at impossible goals.

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13 NIV.

It isn’t that hard to get your heart right with the Lord. Jesus says, “Just begin.” That’s the very first step each of us need to make. Turn and start seeking.

My new book is in the proofing stage. This process has taken longer than I expected. “On The Way” will be releasing soon.

On day 21 I write about the depressing road of religion. Listen as I read from chapter 21, “The Empty Road.”

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”On The Way – 40 Days traveling With Jesus On The Way To The Cross” is still on pre-sale for $14. Don’t miss out. The journey begins soon.

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