Life has a way of humoring us when we find ourselves in the most unlikely places.  For me, that place would be a gym.  I don’t like all the equipment or all the people working out simultaneously that a fitness gym offers. This extrovert suddenly becomes an introvert.  I simply don’t like the atmosphere. Having a private session with a personal trainer is time well spent to me! A game basketball or volleyball gym does not really excite me either. Add the sweaty smell to both places and I am ready to find the nearest exit!  I know there are people who love the environment and thrive in it. I happen to be married to someone like that and I’m the mom of someone like that. My husband can get himself to and from the sweat pit all by himself, but my daughter needs a chauffeur! Where does that leave me?! At a fitness gym twice a week and a gym for volleyball three times a week. The frequency increases when the season starts!

What’s a mom to do?!  First of all, she dresses the part. I purchased gym clothes. My kids called me an imposter! I say, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do!”  Next, I got a water bottle!  Now if I would only drink the water! I think this season I will advance to getting the magnetic volleyball and basketball for the van! I wonder if GYMMOM is already taken for a customized license plate?!

When I began to think about fall and the increasing number of days I will be spending in a gym, I started to think about how that plays into my life in general.  Have I set my goals to be healthy mentally, physically and spiritually? Do I have a game plan to get it accomplished?  What about you? Have you set out the make this fall one that you control and not one that controls you? Do you know what it will take for you to become healthy or sustain good health? Are there areas where you need to up your game? I know that I have to put that water bottle to good use and get my water intake up!  I have also got to start moving again. I think my brain injury will now allow consistency. Besides, cardio is my friend whether I want to commit to the relationship or not! We’ve got to start visiting at least three times a week. I also need to drop in for a visit with weight training. Do you know what you have to do to up your game? Write it down! That will help to make it happen.

Whether it be redshirted or benched, there are some things that simply should not be a part of my game of life! There is no room for nights when I do not get enough sleep. There’s no place for compromising my good eating habits. It is out of the question to think that I can do life well without a strong community walking with me. It is not an option to minimize my time with the Lord. All toxic relationships are shown the exit door. I need to redshirt some of my to-do list and just focus on the things I have to do. Think a bit about your life. What do you need to redshirt or bench for a while?  What is that one thing you need to let it just stay where it is until it’s ready to enhance your life, not drain it?

No game is complete without a few fouls! Life is full of them!  You and I need to access our lives, identify the fouls and work to forgive the offenders. The Lord can give us the strength to forgive even the flagrant fouls. We do need to remember that while some fouls are not intentional, they are still fouls and we need to call them what they are and work to protect ourselves from that happening again.  When it is our turn to shoot our foul shots, we need to make sure we respond in love. This is especially true if we are shooting a shot because of a technical foul.  Responding in love is as much for us as for the offender.

Calling a time out is part of the game! Some coaches will see that the game is going a bit haywire and finds it necessary to pull the players aside to reassess the situation.  Do you have time outs built into the rhythm of your life?  I was never good at them, but learned the hard way of their importance and now call them when necessary. Giving myself a chance to refocus, think about the end results I want and what I am going to do to get there helps me immensely.  I say we use all that the game of life offers us!

The game cannot be played alone!  It takes a team. Each team member plays a significant role. It works well when you have a stellar line up!   Teams hold each other up. They have each other’s back.  They really are in it to win it together.  Do you have the right players in your life? Have you intentional positioned people around you who will help you win? We simply cannot see the whole court, all the time. Our team mates can look at thing from their place on the court and pass you necessary advice, guard you and even be your wing, helping to hold you up when the games go into overtime and you are exhausted.  A strong, will rounded team is essential.

Today happens not to be a gym day. How do I feel about that? Actually I know I will miss interacting with the other moms. I’ve built relationships that I would not otherwise have had and that have been a huge blessing. I’ll not get to see my athlete practice. She’s actually in an air cast, so that’s true regardless right now! She’s athletically gifted and so much fun to watch.  When I focus on celebrating her and her gifts, gym time is more than tolerable, it’s enjoyable.  It’s an opportunity to “practice what I preach” to my kids. Some things are going to happen whether we want them to or not. We can choose how we respond to them. I need to remember the good experiences far outweigh the negative ones when I am in the gym.  That is easier to say because I did not see when my daughter’s head made significant contact with a brick wall during a game! The Lord was gracious and spared me from seeing that.  Recovered and was right back at it in about three weeks. Life does that to us!