Faith Venture

A classic statement in process control holds that if you can’t measure it, you can’t control it. If you are mixing a big batch of product, say liquid laundry detergent, perhaps you need to hold the mixture to certain temperature and pressure. So you add instruments to the process to measure temperature and pressure.

We moved last year during the pandemic. I had two things hitting me simultaneously. The trauma of moving to a new city and state, and a total disruption to my fitness routine. I tried to maintain a routine. I did not gain the “Covid 27” added pounds. But I did add about 7. My measuring instrument is the bathroom scale.

In January, I dropped those 7 pounds. But, my weight has been stable for five months. Even though I increased my workout and we eat a healthy diet.

Actually, I need another measure. Introducing a new variable, dumbbells and regular Yoga, I’ve added muscle and lost fat thereby maintaining a constant weight, but my body has somewhat been reshaped.

You’re asking, is there a spiritual application? Of course. What are you measuring?

You could be measuring how many laws you’ve followed versus how many broken. There are all the Hebrew Bible laws (614 or so). Then there are “laws” that generations of a type of Christian have compiled from random verses mostly pulled from Paul, but also other writers.

Or…

Maybe we measure ourselves against this list of the marks of a Jesus follower found in Romans:

• Genuine love
• Hate evil
• Hold fast to good
• Love for one another
• Outdo one another in showing honor
• Rejoice in hope
• Be ardent in the spirit
• Serve the Lord
• Be patient in suffering
• Persevere in prayer
• Contribute to needs
• Extend hospitality to strangers

These aren’t laws. They are a way of life. But we can step back and look at how we live measured by these “instruments” and determine if we are mixing a good batch or a ruined batch that must be tossed.

[Note: A study was recently published that reported for those people who gained weight during the pandemic, the average was 27 lbs.]

This entry was posted on July 2, 2021 at 8:11 am and is filed under Disciplines. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.