Thoughts and Writings from the furnace by Kent Weathersby

Nothing’s Easy

Years ago, my wife and I were relaxing on chaise lounges on a sunny beach at a Disney World resort. Walking our way, were two Clydesdale-like specimens of muscularity. As they drew closer, my wife said, without looking up from her book: “Better watch out, Red, one of those guys might kick sand in your face — an obvious reference to the 97 pound weakling featured in the ads for the Charles Atlas Body Building Course popular in the 1950’s.

In my early teens, I could have posed for that 97 pound weakling cartoon character in the ad. I was so underdeveloped that one day my father brought home, you guessed it, the Charles Atlas course and got me started on the program which was called “Dynamic Tension,”the principle of pitting one muscle against group against an opposing muscle group. No equipment necessary.

The course also had a heavy emphasis on what Charles Atlas, and my father, called “press-ups,” known to the rest of us as push-ups. I hated push-ups! My former Marine Corps Dad stood over me counting the repetitions, ignoring the ones that were not perfectly executed. Every night, after dinner:“Son, hit the deck;gimme 50 press-ups.” Or, whatever numerical sentence that he handed down. Over time, I became very good at push-ups. I could do more than anyone in the neighborhood, school, or my Scout Troop. I became the “push-upking.” I never got over my loathing of push-ups, but at some point, I realized that the burn in my arms, chest, back, and shoulders was well worth the focused interaction with my father.

I retained my title for many years and have been known to hustle family members into contests by feigning frailty.One would think that the ability to knock out a hundred push-ups would translate into strength in the gym. Not so. I do not frequent gyms because I’m rather scarred by an experience I had on my last visit. I had climbed under a long barbell hovering over a bench-press rig. One of the “usuals” asked if I wanted a “spot” as he walked by me with biceps and pecs bulging. I confidently replied “Nah, I got this!”

There were two plates on each end of the barbell. I took in a deep breath as I lifted the load from the iron claws on which it lay in wait for me. I have a vague memory of my left elbow bending slightly allowing the left side of the barbell to slowly move in the direction of the floor. It didn’t help that I had failed to install the retaining collars that kept the weights secure. As they moved in slow motion toward the end of the bar, my life passed before me. Once the left side of the bar became unburdened and the gym was filled with the sound of clanging, the right side plunged toward the floor at the speed of sound – more clanging. I got up, put a towel over my head, and slinked out to the parking lot. Never went back.

Whenever I’m instructing someone on how to do something, I typically begin by saying “Nothing’s easy–if it were, there would be little or no reward.” That is particularly true with cultivating faith. It’s human nature to look for a way out of a predicament or disaster. I can’t count the number of times I have pleaded with the Lord to deliver me from catastrophes and calamities, many of which were the result of my own choices. Not all, but some. During the worst of these, I was not delivered from the dire circumstances but through them.

I have read many biographies of redoubtable men who have distinguished themselves in the crucible of war. The best known of these appear to have brought from the battlefield a deep capacity for compassion and commitment. The scriptures tell us that God will use affliction to refine our faith, a commodity more precious than silver or gold: “I have refined you, but not as silver is refined. Rather, I have refined you in the furnace of suffering.”

I would be very lucky to squeeze out 10 push-ups in my present physical condition. But, I will always relish the fact that for many years I was the “push-up king.” Just as at some point, I began to look forward to the “hit the deck” command, I make every effort to arm my mind with the attitude that when trouble comes, I will embrace it. I will, as they say, “lean into it!” I will keep my mind focused on the magnitude of the glory in which He lives and not on the trivial by comparison circumstances that seek to consume me. It is not easy, and if it were, there would be little or no reward. After each encounter, it seems that there are a few more of those “things that will be added unto you” in my life.

Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.

Kent