What Do I Want Out of the Gym – and Life?

Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” John 1:38

I have certain goals at the gym, but I’m not there yet. My problem isn’t that I don’t know what to do. I know I should get up every day and go, but some days, I want to sleep in. I know I should eat healthy, but sometimes, I want junk food. I know that I should work hard, but often, I just feel lazy.

I see those who are where I’d like to be and I’m jealous. The difference – other than youth and more natural talent – is that they’ve been willing to do what I’ve not. Their behavior has been consistent with their goals. I’ve got the same goals. I’m just not committed to the same behavior.

This has been a problem for me, not just at the gym, but in life as well. The addict wants what everyone else wants: family, career, love, and happiness. The addict’s problem is that his behavior isn’t consistent with pursuing those things. In fact, the addict’s compulsive pursuit of his now-appetite usually precludes him from finding those things.

In today’s passage, Jesus turned to two men following him and asked, “What are you seeking?” This is a question we must ask ourselves daily. What am I seeking? What do I truly want in life? Is my behavior consistent with that? If we’re honest, we’ll find that, like the addict, our behavior is often inconsistent with our goals.

In theory, we want a good marriage, but right now, we want to engage in behavior that isn’t conducive to a good marriage. We want to lose weight, but right now, we want to eat junk food. We want to know recovery, but right now, we just want a drink.

To those who are truly seeking, Jesus says, “Follow me” (John 1:43). We were made to desire life, joy, and love. The problem is not that we want those things, but in how we seek them. Jesus says, “Follow me”, but we think we know better and we try to find satisfaction in our way. God, however, is the only adequate answer to our ultimate needs. This is how he made us.

If we’re just fine on our own, God allows us to go our way. To all who are seeking something more though, he says, “Follow me.” If we want authentic life, we must daily choose to follow the one who gives it.