By Ken Yates

INTRODUCTION

When I was a boy, I was really thin. In fact, some called me “Skinny Kenny.” The nickname didn’t bother me because it was never said in a mean way. It was simply stating a fact.

There were times, however, when I did not like being skinny. Back then, some advertisements talked about “90-pound weaklings.” Muscle-bound guys would push the weaklings around. Such poor souls could send in their money to buy protein shakes. They would become real men with large muscles if they only drank those shakes. It was easy for me to identify as one of those 90-pound weaklings, even though I doubt I even weighed that much then. I longed to be like Arnold Schwarzenegger.

I think I grew out of such desires. Somewhere along the way, I figured out that the shakes wouldn’t turn me into a body builder. Those advertisements were deceptive.

But through the years I’ve learned that many other guys want the same thing I did as a boy, and some even reach their goal. I realize, however, that they’ve been deceived in at least one respect.

WORKING OUT AT THE GYM

I joined the military when I was a very young man. It’s a macho profession, and many of us visited the gym often. Our superior officers rated us on how physically fit we kept ourselves. Such fitness would help us get promoted, get pay raises, and allow us to assume higher levels of responsibility.

Through the wisdom that comes with age, I had learned that obtaining muscles in one’s chest and arms was not the result of drinking a magical protein elixir. Watching my fellow soldiers spend a lot of time in the gym showed me that such muscles resulted from a lot of hard work. I often saw them strain as they lifted weights. They would work on different muscle groups and follow certain patterns learned from the experts. They spoke of light days, heavy days, reps, spotters, cardio, carbs, and many other things I had no clue about.

I would dabble in lifting weights only because my job depended upon it. But I told myself that it wasn’t worth my time or effort to get too serious about it. I suppose I was too lazy. At any rate, I convinced myself that my genes would never allow me to be muscle-bound.

But I have to admit that when I did visit the gym, I experienced at least a tinge of jealousy. I would see guys in my unit who were like the men in the advertisements I saw as a boy. If we were ever in a physical fight, they would make short work of me. They were better physical specimens than I was.

They knew it, too. In almost all these gyms there were large mirrors surrounding the weight machines. When these guys finished lifting, it was all too common to see them stand in front of these mirrors. They would flex their muscles and admire their handiwork. They were proud of what their hard work had accomplished.

At such times, I would sometimes wish I looked like that. Fortunately, I also experienced times of clarity that put it all in the proper perspective. I realized that those mirrors did not tell the whole truth.

OLD GUYS AND MIRRORS

As an old guy, I still visit the gym. My workouts now revolve around simply staying active and trying to stave off the aches and pains that come with getting older. I have zero desire to develop big muscles, and I never find myself the least bit jealous of the young guys who do. That ship has sailed.

But I also see guys my age who still flex before the mirrors. They have larger arms and chests than I do. They can certainly lift more weight than I can. I know that these are guys who are like so many of the men I saw in the gyms in my younger days. They are proud of the way their bodies look. The mirrors remind them of what years of working out have accomplished.

But it’s different now. Those muscles are sagging. They’re not as firm. The skin around them is wrinkled. Those muscles get really sore. The aches and pains of old age are obvious as these men position themselves in front of those mirrors. They walk around in front of those mirrors much more slowly.

I know these guys understand all these things. But sometimes, I wonder if they can push such thoughts from their minds. Can they look in the mirror and be fooled? It seems to me that those mirrors can keep us from seeing reality. They can deceive us into thinking that our physical bodies are what is most important. With the gratification those mirrors give us, we can believe a lie.

ETERNAL MUSCLES ARE MORE IMPORTANT

The lie those mirrors tell is that we should concentrate on the muscles in our current bodies. On two occasions, Paul tells the believers in Corinth that other muscles are more important.

In 1 Cor 15:40-45, he reminds us that our earthly bodies are corruptible. We may think they look great in a mirror, but in reality, they are weak. They will perish. The old guys in front of the gym’s mirror can see it, even if they can push such thoughts from their minds.

Paul encourages those believers to work out for the body they will have in eternity. He says that their good works can contribute to the glory of that future body. He uses the illustration of light. Some bodies will be brighter than others. To continue my analogy: Some bodies will have bigger spiritual muscles in the world to come.

Paul says the same thing in another letter to the Corinthian church. He says that their physical bodies are perishing. However, the inner man can be renewed (I would say strengthened!). If a believer does that through walking in obedience to the Lord, his future body will be one with “an exceeding and eternal weight of glory” (2 Cor 4:16-18). Spiritually speaking, good works are like working out with weights. In eternity, it will be obvious who has been pumping spiritual iron.

Not surprisingly, in both these passages, Paul lets us know which set of muscles are more important. The muscles we develop in this earthly body are temporary. The muscles we build up for the world to come are eternal. As all the Bible teaches, the things we do for the Lord will bring eternal rewards.

CONCLUSION

It is wise to take care of ourselves. Insofar as it’s within our power, being healthy is a good idea. This involves what we eat. It also involves engaging in physical exercise. If we do such things, we’ll have more energy to fulfill our responsibilities and serve others. We will also probably avoid many of the problems associated with poor health.

But we need to keep it in perspective. If a mirror at the gym convinces us that our physical efforts are what life is all about, then the mirror is lying.

We should be more concerned about our bodies in the world to come. What rewards will He give us when we stand before the King at the Judgment Seat of Christ? It will depend upon how healthy we were spiritually and what kind of “weight” we lifted for Him.

What will we see when we look in the mirror on that Day? A 90-pound weakling or a muscle-bound weightlifter?

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Ken Yates is a retired Army chaplain (Lt. Col). He has many theological degrees, including a Ph.D. from D.T.S. in New Testament. He leads the GES international ministry, cohosts the daily podcast, and assists Bob in all aspects of the GES ministry. His new book, Elisabeth, is a powerful testimony to the power of God manifested in a Christ-centered family. He and his wife, Pam, live in Columbia, SC.