Smilin' Through the Pain

 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. – Psalm  150:6

 I have a gym membership.  Like thousands of Americans I  signed up around the New Year.  Now, four months later, I  have only gone a few times. To say that I have fallen short of  my New Year’s resolution fitness goals is generous….  I  have actually, completely failed.

 Since another huge spring snow storm was forecasted for  tomorrow, I decided to visit the gym and act like I was a  regular.  The front desk clerk  asked, “Hi, who are you?” She  should know me if I’ve been paying for this for four months.

I joined a jam-packed indoor biking class, lucky to get one of the last open bikes.  The instructor was enthusiastic and seemed pretty excited to work our butts off.  (That would take seven years for me).  When it got too painful, and I started thinking of how to gracefully jump ship for the showers early, I looked up and saw a much older man two rows ahead of me with a gigantic smile on his face.  How in the world was he smiling so big when we were all hurting so much?  

After the class, which I did manage to hang on and finish, I caught his attention in the lobby and asked him that exact question.  His response was profound: “That’s my nature.  When it’s hard.  I smile.” 

What if we did too?  Smile and know God is good and will end the hurt soon.  God is going to teach me something great in the midst of pain.  These attitudes can bring smiles.

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