Going Nowhere Fast!

This past Monday, after a hiatus of a few months, I went back to the weekly spin class I used to attend. Now, in case you don’t know what spin is, let me explain. You are on a stationary bike that mimics the feels of a real bike, especially because you can stand when you make the tension high enough (as if you are going uphill) and pedal extremely fast to give the feel of going downhill or racing. The class is very fast paced as you pedal to the music (some of which I like and some of which I don’) and follow the instructor’s directions the best that you can. The class I take is an hour long and includes a lot of “hills” as well as some speed work. By the end of the hour, I am dripping with sweat and exhausted. In fact, this past week I burned about 630 calories in the one hour.  

The one downside of riding on a spin bike—or any kind of stationary bike, for that matter—is that in spite of all your effort, you always end up where you began. For example, although the mile counter may say you biked 13 miles, in reality you have gone nowhere!  Unlike being on a real bike out on the road or in a park, on a spin bike you have literally gone, “nowhere fast!” 

If you think about it, isn’t that the way we so often live our lives—at a frantic pace, moving and going and doing, but so often not really getting anywhere of real significance? We start and stop and try and fail and then start again and repeat the cycle until we are exhausted. And we can’t do it all fast enough! No breaks. No downtime. No rest. No chance to catch our breath. It’s as if our lives are one great big cosmic spin class—going nowhere fast! And then we wonder why we feel so tired and frustrated and burned out. The truth is, we are living our lives in a way God never intended for us to live. 

Could it be that we have neglected the one of the ten commandments that was meant to help us with this matter, “Remember the Sabbath by keeping it holy.” (Exodus 20:8 – NIV). It’s a command from God, instructing us to take one day per week, in this case the seventh day, and to use it as a day of rest. The scripture goes on to say, “For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” (Exodus 20:11) Notice God set the example. In other words, if he felt the need to rest (not that he actually becomes tired as we do), how much more do we need to take time out of the busyness of our lives and rest?

If you are feeling overwhelmed and exhausted by the pace of your life—if you are feeling frustrated by the fact that it feels as if you are going nowhere fast—let me suggest that you take hold of the gift that God has given to you: a day of rest. It’s a command and an invitation to take one day per week (for most Christians, although not all, that day is now Sunday) to break from the normal routines of life, to stop the frantic pace of your life, and to use that day to slow down and focus on the most important aspects of life—e.g., the worship of God, your relationships with your friends, family, and community, and his eternal kingdom. 

Let’s thank God for his wisdom in giving to us a commandment to take a day of rest. After all, he never intended for us to be going nowhere fast! 

Have a great day! 

- Pastor Tim Harris