Today I believe that my behind has deflated.

I told you that I would post the good, the bad, and the ugly on my blog and today is the ugly. And before you ask, NO there will be no pictures posted of my posterior!!! You see I recently had a reason to take a very close look at my backside in a mirror and quite frankly was shocked at what I saw. OK, I admit it- you can even call me vain- but I have always been somewhat proud of my rear end. It was one of my better features, and when I saw the cold ugly truth, it hit me pretty hard. After all, I am in my mid thirties and I have had two children but if the truth be told, I never even contemplated the idea that gravity would actually take affect on MY derriere. Those things just happen to other people, right??? OK, so maybe over the summer I did not exercise as much as I had before. It is possible that I was a little lazy, but could things really change that fast???

At some point in the last few days, I must have been bitten by a spider on the back of my leg. It itched. I mean it really itched, and I probably looked rather ridiculous to the man at the red light watching me squirm around on my seat trying to drive my car- but that is another story... So once I had the chance, I decided to look in my full length mirror and see exactly what was causing me so much discomfort. At first my attention was placed only on the red itchy bump, but then I noticed it, I had that sinking feeling- no wait, it wasn't a sinking feeling- it was a sinking body part! Not just any body part but my best body part. (Yes, I realize that we have already covered that- but it really did surprise me.) I realized that things really can change fast.

Well, I went to talk to my next door neighbor about this complaint, as I do with all complaints, hoping she could give me some comfort. She did give me some encouragement and hope. We talked about the fact that all was not lost. For instance, we have been walking together in the morning wearing our "special" shoes. These shoes have a rounded sole that really does help get your gluteus maximus working hard but they sure are ugly! Thankfully, I talked my neighbor into buying a pair for our walks so that now I am not the only one on the road looking "special". Between walking, more Pilate's, and squats, we determined that I can indeed get that junk out of my trunk. In truth, it will take a little time to build up the muscle again but it can be done.

That is when I started thinking about other areas of my life that have become deflated. The truth is that when we do not work on our relationship with God, it too will loose its strength. Let me tell you- it can happen fast! When I don't set aside time for prayer, Bible reading, or even meditation on the holiness of God, my spiritual life will inevitably deflate too. Our relationship with God needs to be deliberate and something we work on. It is hard to be reminded of but just like lack of exercise can cause certain body parts to droop, not spending time with God will cause our strength in Christ to droop. So how are you doing today? Is your spiritual life deflated or are you strong in Christ? Set aside that time to keep yourself strong because finding yourself deflated is a surprise you don't want.