Morning after agony set in after our soccer game. That achy feeling our muscles hold after sudden unknown use. Regardless of argument, running for a soccer ball is not the same as running for the N, R or W trains, no matter how many times you may catch the train! I don’t use those muscles often, but this morning I noticed them.
It is amazing how many muscles I don’t use. Not because I don’t want to. Often I just do not have the chance to use them. They’re not part of the daily routine. It’s funny our daily routine can develop a muscle memory. It wasn’t until playing a different game that I quickly discovered how focused my muscle groups are. Each sport, each position requires a specific set of muscles, a specific strength. And, they’re not always interchangeable. Perhaps that is why good athletes cross train. (And God has given each of us specific strengths, and he has called us to be in shape in season and out.)
Kicking a ball around in Central Park was exhaustingly fun. Perhaps God has to use this morning after aching in my bones to wake me up. To tell me that I will be using muscle groups over in Scotland, even now, that are under developed. Someone who plays soccer regularly wouldn’t feel the way I do today. No, they’re trained. So, I need to build my muscle memory. My spiritual muscle memory. Can I listen when someone speaks and not wander off into a million directions? Can I listen instead of speak? Can I be humble? Can I lay hands on the sick and pray they’ll recover, stand by myself when the team breaks up? Can I encourage with sincerity, be genuine, and be approachable?
Can I love and listen? Can I share about myself with my team, and can I learn to let my own feeble legs be strengthened?
Soccer was fun. Who knew pint size Poland Spring bottles would make such great goal posts.
