I Pulled When I Should Have Pushed

July 1 2019

I was on vacation recently and I was proud of myself. I went to the gym every single morning. Each day I alternated between cardio and weight lifting. Then I joined my family for a healthy breakfast and good family discussions.

On the very first morning, I had to figure out how to gain access to the gym. There were dual entrances, one for men and the other one for women. There was no arrows to guide you through the locker room and to the gym. After a few attempts I finally arrived. When I finished my workout and was leaving, I got to the exit door, but could not open it. I thought I was locked in so I went back to the gym to try to determine if there was another way out. There wasn’t. So I tried again and experienced the same result. I thought surely I must have missed the exit door I used to get to the gym. There was no one to ask so I went back one more time and then came back the same way I entered. By this time I was beginning to get a little frustrated because getting out should not be that difficult. Once again I pulled on the door, but could not get out. Then it dawned on me that I should push rather than pull. When I pushed, the door opened and there was the lobby that had been elusive for almost ten minutes.

It wasn’t that I failed to follow instructions because there were none. However, what I did do was repeat the same exercise a few times before I tried a different approach that gave me the result I was looking for. I believe that our lives get stuck in a non-progressive pattern because we continue to repeat the same behavior, but expect a favorable outcome. If we want to push forward, we must be open to trying something different. If we have tried things the same way without measurable success, let’s try God’s way. It may seem a little strange initially, but it is always progressive and directs us to push forward rather than pull back. His way is proven.