day 228: Corporate Gyms

It started in the mid 1980's that corporations began to put exercise equipment in the office so that employees could work out while on the job. Exercise rooms grew into fully equipped fitness centers with staff, trainers, showers and locker rooms, etc. Any new headquarters today will typically have a corporate fitness center as a part of the building. The original idea behind these centers was a good one; if our employees are more fit, that means they are healthier, which means that the cost of medical benefits should go down over time, etc. The benefit for the employee is the convenience and cost savings that they receive when they don't have to go outside of their work pattern to join and frequent a gym. It's a great perk when offered but even then, usually less than 1/2 to a 1/3 of the population will ever regularly use a corporate fitness center. Because of this, there is the ongoing debate about the cost vs. benefit of keeping the fitness center staffed, equipment up to date, etc. There would be no debate if the number of people who regularly use the gym was 80%. But, that's really hard to make happen. To get 80% plus of any population to voluntarily want to exercise would be hard to accomplish even though when someone works out they are bettering and growing their body's physical strength and health. Working out can be painful but as the popular phrase for trainers goes: "No pain, no gain". To grow and better ourselves we have to go through some pain and struggle. Our workplace and our jobs are also great places to grow ourselves spiritually and "work out" our faith. And, we don't need to be offered a special "gym" to do so. Each time that we go through the challenges at work to either live and work to our purpose or to go the way of the world we are growing. Those little and big decisions that are put in front of us that test our values, force us to think through right and wrong, make us look at ourselves in the mirror on how we should be treating others; all of these are growth points in our spiritual lives. And like when we have been in the fitness center for weeks and months and we say, "I'm just not seeing any difference", we only have to step back and remember how far we have come. David Wilkerson talks about our spiritual growth being like the slow growth of the lilies in Hosea 14:5: "I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like a lily." Wilkerson says, "God is telling us, 'Go to the lilies! Just try to watch them grow. I’m telling you by day’s end you won’t see any growth whatsoever. But know this; I water the lily every morning with the dew I send—and it’s going to grow.' The same is true of most spiritual growth. It’s imperceptible to the human eye!" Today, you may (hopefully you do) go to the corporate gym and workout your body. Each time you do it, you are growing. Today, you will also have the opportunity to go to God's gym and work out your spiritual body and grow. See today that each of the decisions and challenges you have today as the chance to "work out" and grow.

Reference: Hosea 14:5 (New Living Testament)