How often do you crank up the intensity on your life? There is much talk these days about intensity and doing hard things. A brief look at the books in my library will reveal two titled Do Hard Things (This is the most recent). A few years ago, Michael Easter wrote a must-read titled, The Comfort Crisis. Recently, John Mark Comer wrote, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry. Other books include Grit, by Angela Duckworth, a whole shelf of books on spiritual disciplines, and The Men We Need by Brant Hansen.
In addition to books, there are podcasts and Netflix series and entire lifestyles devoted to doing hard things. People committed to Cross-fit are committed to doing hard stuff and the Go Ruck community is filled with people who add extra weight to their backpacks every day just to make life a little more challenging.
Why? For some, the answer is why not. For others, the answer may be health or community or stress relief. Just yesterday, I was being made fun of because I can’t turn my neck very well right now because of a pulled muscle in my shoulder area. Why would I put myself through that pain? I want to continue to bench press over 400 lbs. and I do not want fight back against the tides of obesity and heart disease that creep in as we age.
Maybe you don’t care about bench pressing 400 lbs. or you don’t desire to be involved in a Cross-fit gym. I think there are good spiritual reasons for you to attempt hard things anyway.
- Doing hard things helps to develop personal disciplines. The Christian life is a disciplined life. Any aspect of discipline you introduce is one more step toward greater spiritual disciplines.
- Challenging yourself prepares you for challenging times ahead. There is research to suggest that we make ourselves a little tougher by making life a little less comfortable. When persecution or trials come your way, be better prepared to handle them by not pampering yourself every hour of every day.
- Your physical health is a spiritual issue. We represent Christ better when we honor all of his word–that includes the parts about gluttony and our bodies being a temple of the Holy Spirit. We also serve Christ better when we are physically able to do so.
- Challenging yourself increases your mental and emotional capacity.
It can be easy in American society to enjoy cushioned chairs and air conditioning. Do something hard today. Turn your phone off or go for a walk or read a book at a standing desk or high table. Do a 16 hour or 24 hour fast (that is biblical too). There is some research to suggest that just standing up more than you sit down might have more impact on your overall health than short bouts of rigorous exercise.
Remember, you don’t have to try to hurt yourself, just do something today that takes you out of your comfort zone, and then do it again tomorrow.
I have a friend who says he wants the hardest thing he does every day to be something he does to himself. I like that. It really takes away the opportunity for others to impact your day.
What are you doing to do today?
Photo by GMB Fitness on Unsplash
