He took his leave of them and went off up the mountain to pray. ~MARK 6:46

For about a dozen years I was a certified personal trainer beginning back in 1998. One of the fascinating principles I learned was that when you workout, you cause micro tears in the muscle fibers, so you’re not really building muscle during the activity, you’re actually tearing it down. It is in that 24 hour period of resting the muscles after a workout where growth, in reality, takes place–provided you have proper nutrients and hydration of course.

If you work the same muscle groups vigorously everyday, they will never grow; they will just keep getting broken down with no chance to build back up.

One of my favorite bodybuilders was Mike Mentzer. He had such an incredible mind and approach to his craft. He said that optimally you would lie around resting and growing 24 hours a day, BUT reality dictates that you need to stimulate the growth, as well as sleep for about one-third of your life. So his philosophy was to spend the bare minimum amount of time in the gym to produce maximum gains in the body. His approach, which he termed “H.I.T”, or “High Intensity Training”, was to go to all out total muscle failure, but for a much shorter duration than the other bodybuilders. In other words, spend more time growing and less time tearing down. It seemed to work pretty well for him, as you can see from the picture.

I was thinking of parallels in the spiritual life, since Papa Yahweh created all that we call science, biology, anatomy, etc. to reflect Himself in some way, as well as reflect the spiritual journey itself, I believe.

And I realized that it is when we are resting in Christ that we are experiencing the most profound growth. As stated earlier, there must be stimulants for growth, such as Scripture meditation, acts of service, sharpening conversations, communal worship, and perhaps most stimulating, some sort of suffering.

But the maximal growth is not happening during these actions. You can’t read and study Scripture nonstop without reflecting on it if you’re going for optimal spiritual health. You can’t constantly serve others without taking a break. Think of the down time Jesus needed after feeding the 5,000 people; He didn’t immediately go feed another 4,000, He got away to take a break and pray (Mark 6:46). You’re not ready for the storm to hit while you’re building your house on the rock. It is afterward, as you are able to chill, to rest in said house, when the winds and the waves can beat upon it and you’re able to stand firm.

I believe it is when we are resting in Christ that those spiritual muscles are most literally rebuilding and becoming stronger. When you are simply sitting in God’s presence and enjoying Him with no agenda. It is when you are calmly reflecting upon Scripture, after reading or studying it, reflecting on a sermon after hearing it, reviewing your previous day after living it.

And then there is gratitude. Gratitude is of vital importance, for we are resting in a state of thankfulness, allowing our souls to expand.

Another way we can be resting in Christ is by trusting wholeheartedly in His goodness, love, and care in the midst of a difficult situation.

Twelve years ago this month I remember heeding Jesus’s call to take 30 days without talking to anybody (outside my family and work). By simply obeying that directive towards a sort of “nothing”, I experienced more growth than any other 30 day period of my life. Thanks be to God.

As a preacher once claimed, we grow close to one another by hanging out and doing….nothing. Not everyday needs to be an epic event–though some epic events are necessary in our life, for they provide us with so much to reflect upon the rest of our days!

I’ve journaled a lot in my life, I mean A LOT. That specific action is extremely helpful, but you know what is possibly even more valuable? You guessed it. Actually reading what you’ve journaled. Sure, some of it is embarrassing, but it is highly efficacious for fostering growth, probably because there is something powerfully effective in assimilating experiences and information. (For a Ripple on this see Developing the Film of Your Life)

I’ve read a couple of really cool brain books which talked about how during your deep sleep cycle, your brain is collating information you took in and experiences you underwent from the day, as if there’s someone in there filing everything away into their proper folders and drawers. How amazing! Therefore, if we are taking in or doing too much without appropriate rest and reflection, we will suffer from a sort of spiritual constipation. Not to be crude, but that will definitely inhibit growth and function!