Pressing On

As of last Thursday, I have completed this round of physical therapy.  I have by no means mastered every item on the check list, but I now know what to do and not do to be more successful and productive in my walking and stamina.  Once again, my timing for distance covered in six minutes improved to more than 2 ½ times faster than the initial test.  That is making a difference in endurance as well.  Part of the training has been to determine when I am not walking correctly, notice what I should be doing, and then changing the habit to walk properly.  I am at the point now where I catch what I need to do quickly and then progress from there.  Although I have “Graduated” at this time, that doesn’t mean that I won’t ever need to return again to help make even more improvements.  It has been a tremendous blessing to know that we have found a place where the therapists are trained to know what to teach me to do to make progress.

The same holds true in my daily spiritual therapy.  Because the goal is always in front of me, I want to mature so that when I stray or do something wrong I am quickly prompted to stop, assess the situation, and make the change.  There are times when I also need to be willing to add and include practices for the good, even when they may not be easy.  The more I practice living correctly, the more disciplined I can be in working towards the goal of being what God saved me for and created me to be, not out  of obligation or duty but because of gratitude and love.

Blessing:  The workout gym nearest our home has been closed since early in the year so I have been exercising at home.  A few months ago the gym was bought by another company and has been in the process of being remodeled.  With the stem cell treatment completed and physical therapy in process, we needed to get serious about exercising again.  The new gym opened at the end of July!  It’s even better than before, with brand new equipment.  Now it's time to up the weights and repetitions and keep pressing on.

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.

Philippians 3:12

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Joshua 1:9