Today I began a journey to having a more fit body. I didn’t join a gym or start a new eating plan like most folks do when they decide that they are ready for a physical change. I tried that before, and it did not work out the way that I thought it would. I began an ambitious exercise program three years ago and injured myself due to overuse. So, my journey began with a visit to the physical therapist to strengthen the muscles around my injury.
I now know what the letters “PT” really mean. They don’t stand for “physical therapy” like the therapists want you to think. No, I am convinced that “PT” actually stands for painful torture. After my first visit to the physical therapist, my body hurts in other spots besides the one that sent me to the therapist in the first place. I will definitely be taking a dose of ibuprofen tonight.
Beginnings can be painful. When two people first get married, there is tension as one person adjusts to the other person’s habits. For example, the pain of discovering in the middle of the night, in the dark unlit room, that your partner is not accustomed to always remembering to put the toilet seat down after they are done using it. There’s pain associated with having your family grow. If you give birth to a baby, there is the pain of childbirth. If you adopt a newborn and miss out on the childbirth pain, you will still experience the pain of a sleepless night as you stay awake with a teething baby. Or, if you bring an older child into your family, there is pain that goes with adjustment to your schedule and pain of the child testing your boundaries. In all of the cases above, the pain does not last forever. Whatever struggles you encounter, they are soon forgotten as you revel in your new role as a spouse or parent. The happiness and love you feel outweighs any pain you might feel.
2 Corinthians 4:17 AMP tells us that “For our momentary, light distress [this passing trouble] is producing for us an eternal weight of glory [a fullness] beyond all measure [surpassing all comparisons, a transcendent splendor and an endless blessedness]” It’s the same way with a new relationship, new parenthood, or even a new body. There is pain in the beginning. It soon passes, however. It is nothing compared to the wonderful things that are waiting for us.
Hopefully, I will remember this and keep it in mind the next time I see the physical therapist!
Journey with Monica 