Christy has blond hair she’ll toss up in a ponytail while adjusting her microphone. She’ll comment about her favorite reality television show while cueing her music and grabbing some weights. She’ll put her hands on her hips, displaying her buff biceps and toned triceps, and ask, Are you ready?! Then she’ll wait for a response.

In stupid delusion we’ll enthusiastically say YES and start our workout and sweat until our death.

Running, squatting, lifting, punching, she’ll push you until you think you can’t go anymore. And then she’ll push you more. Like on Tuesday when I had weights lifted above my head with my left calf raised tight, she felt it necessary to inform me my calf should be higher, so she tapped my foot and raised her eyebrow indicating, GET UP HIGHER, BIANCA! DON’T BACK DOWN, BIANCA! I WANT TO HELP YOU, BIANCA!

So I did. And I didn’t even know it was possible.

Sometimes in a high intensity point in class, she’ll scream, How we doing, gang? Most of the class is breathless and exhausted and too tired, fatigued, or angry to respond. All we can say is UGH or WOOO, depending of whether or not we have breath. She doesn’t stop though. She keeps pushing knowing that in the end, it will be worth it.

Isn’t life at church sometimes like Christy’s fitness class? We are breathless and exhausted and too tired, fatigued, or angry to respond with how we are really feeling [I’m tired, fatigued, and honestly, my kids made me really angry!]. So, in true Christianese fashion we reply with fine or blessed or great, none of which are true. But it’s all we can say.

But we have the opportunity to be like Christy. We can push people in love to speak openly about how they’re truly feeling. Even when it hurts or they feel they can’t do more than they’re already doing, we can tap their soul and say GET UP HIGHER, FRIEND! DON’T BACK DOWN, FRIEND! I WANT TO HELP YOU, FRIEND!

Don’t stop asking. Keep pushing knowing that in the end, it will be worth it.

In the words of Christy, how we doing, gang!? [ Note: If someone says ugh or wooo, I’ll send Christy to yell at you ;)]

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