Muscle Memory

There is nothing quite like coming home to a clean house. There is something refreshing about the gentle aroma of lemon, fresh linen and various citrus flavored cleansers teasing your nostrils as you open the front door. The wood floors gleaming, the windows sparkling and the steel on the appliances glistening. I think that lady from the Pine-Sol commercials is on to something (“That’s the power of Pine-Sol baby!”).

We recently had a “Spring Cleaning” at our house. When we arrived home from work, relatively speaking, the house was impeccable. The next morning as I went through my normal routine, I went to throw away a Q-Tip, only to find that the bathroom trashcan was not in its normal spot. The trashcan, that had been located in the same spot for the last 5 ½ years, had been moved during the cleaning. It had been moved to a more logical location, but it was a location that I was not familiar with.

Two other times that day and even as late as a week later, I still found myself going to the “old spot” out of habit or routine. I had trained my body to go to that same spot without thinking. I was going through the motions without being consciously engaged throughout the process.
I was clearly demonstrating the phenomenon known as muscle memory. Muscle memory takes place when the same physical action is repeated so many times that your body can do it without your mind consciously controlling your actions. This is essential in sports, such as golf, baseball, skating, bicycling etc., where getting comfortable with and repeating actions the same way every time is critical for success.

This phenomenon translates to the spiritual realm as well. Before I became serious in my walk with God, I had ingrained into my being, a certain “muscle memory”. I lied without thinking; I cheated without giving it a second thought; I reacted in anger when I should have loved; I was disobedient to authority; I neglected the truth; I was intentionally hurtful to others; I worried about things that I had no control over; I put my ideas above God’s plans and commands. After years of repetition, my “spiritual muscle memory” was finely tuned to do the wrong thing.

When I decided to follow in the steps of Christ, it was like the “trash can” was moved. What I was used to doing, I could not continue to do anymore. I used to hate, I must now love. I used to worry, now I must exercise my faith muscle. I used to hoard my belongings, now I must give. I used to be foolish, now I must pursue wisdom and knowledge.

Every day, I must “retrain” my mind, body and spirit to forget those ways of the past and to press forward toward the new mark. It is a daily struggle, but it is my ultimate goal.

Philippians 3:12-14 (Amplified Bible) reads: “12-Not that I have now attained [this ideal], or have already been made perfect, but I press on to lay hold of (grasp) and make my own, that for which Christ Jesus (the Messiah) has laid hold of me and made me His own. 13-I do not consider, brethren, that I have captured and made it my own [yet]; but one thing I do [it is my one aspiration]: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14-I press on toward the goal to win the [supreme and heavenly] prize to which God in Christ Jesus is calling us upward.

Romans 7:21-25 (Message Bible) reads: “21-23-It happens so regularly that it's predictable. The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up. I truly delight in God's commands, but it's pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge. 24-I've tried everything and nothing helps. I'm at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn't that the real question? 25-The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different."

If you truly desire a deeper relationship with God, you must “go into training”. Through His power, you can break the “habits” that took you a lifetime to build. You can stop going back to the “old ways” that are comfortable (for a moment) and walk in newness of life.

Take a look around your “house”…is it time for a “Spring Cleaning”?

Be Blessed,

B

Are you covered???

As a kid when I was afraid of something at bedtime (a monster, a thunderstorm etc), I would sleep under the covers on my bed. I had a couple of techniques that I used. Sometimes, I would “mummify” myself in my sheets so that no part of my body was exposed to “whatever was out there”. Other times I would cover my entire body and place my head under my pillow. My favorite technique, however, was what I like to call the “impenetrable dome” system. This was accomplished by spreading and then throwing my sheet or blanket into the air, making a parachute of sort, and quickly pulling the sides down to make a dome. I would then hide myself under the dome and be fully covered and protected for the night.

As a kid you may have had your favorite blanket or sheet that served as a “comforter” and “protector”, but for me it didn’t matter. I used whatever was available to cover myself. I fully believed that nothing could “get me” as long as I was covered. My covers were invincible. No monster could rip through them, no robber could break in and harm me (or see me for that matter) and no lightening could break through my protective barrier. I was covered, so that means that I was “hands off” to anything that “meant me harm”.

As an adult, I don’t sleep “under the covers”, but I am still faced with the “monsters” of life which include the monsters of doubt, of worry, of lack, of not achieving success, of hurting my loved ones, of peer pressure, of not being the follower of Christ I should be, of not being the man, husband or father I should be, etc. These “monsters” are much more powerful than the ‘monsters” that I faced as a child, because these “monsters” can come out in the day as well as in the night.

I have found that I still need covers, but I have exchanged my physical covers for spiritual “covers” (or a shield). Psalms 5:12 says

For you bless the godly, O Lord; you surround them with your shield of love. (New Living Translation)

For You, Lord, will bless the [uncompromisingly] righteous [him who is upright and in right standing with You]; as with a shield You will surround him with goodwill (pleasure and favor). (Amplified Bible)

In the face of my “monsters” I can hide under the “covers” of God’s Favor (Grace) and His Love. His favor is an impenetrable force in my life. It protects me not only from the attacks of the evil one, but it protects me from my “self destructive” tendencies. When I recognize that God has favor toward me, that He is “covering” me and protecting me, I can “boldly go where no man has gone before”. What once appeared as a “Leap of Faith” begins to look like a baby step as I look at my destiny through the eyes of the Most High.

I thank God for being full of Grace (unmerited favor) and with Love (unconditional acceptance and sacrifice). There isn’t a “monster” that is strong enough to “get me” when I’m hiding under my “covers”.

As you face your “monsters”, what are you hiding under? Are you relying on your own might, your own wit and your “connections”? I guarantee you that outside of the Grace of God as your cover, your enemies will find a weakness in your defenses and you will fall. When God calls you to do whatever He wants to accomplish through you, He will cover you with the favor needed to get the job done. He will open doors that you didn’t even know were there (forget about the ones that you thought were closed), He will guide you to the right connections (by ordering your steps) and He will make your enemies your footstool. When you hide under the “covers” of God, there is no need to fear for He will protect you.

What “covers” are you hiding under?

Be Blessed,

B