I will admit it, I need to exercise. I’m the person who has stress build-up and body issues. Exercise has been a regular part of my life since I was doing Jane Fonda Step Aerobics with my Mama at age 9. Back then, it was just fun to do, but it became a necessity as I grew. At first, it was all for vanity. I wanted to look like all those pretty girls in the magazines. But by the time I turned 19, and started experiencing anxiety and panic attacks, it was my outlet. I could release so much tension that my body was using against me. It was a huge breakthrough for me. Exercise allowed me to stop taking medication because I believed I could control the issue myself. And I did. I know now that God was helping me the entire time, but unfortunately, back then, I was clueless. I was my own conqueror of my demons. Ya Right! God had been by my side through more tales than I care to share. He brought me out the other side, and I gave myself the pat on the back. Sound familiar?
So, all this exercise allowed me to navigate through the stresses of my life as I had my first child, ran my own business, endured divorce, moved all over the place, had three more children, went back to school, moved across the country, and lost my Mother. Exercise was the one constant that was always with me, no matter where I was, what I was doing, who I was with, and how I was feeling. It was the one thing I even shared with my friends and my Mom. I can honestly say that exercise is a piece of me that helps define who I am.
Here is the problem with my dependency and history with Exercise: I should have had that same dependency with the Word of God. If I look back, God was with me from the beginning. And He gave me His Word to know Him. He gave me His Word to help me through all those times of trouble, struggle, joy, and confusion. He gave me His Word to give me peace when I had no answers. He gave me His Word for when I was too weak to pick myself up and exercise the stress and sadness out of myself. Yes, God knew that exercise would help me, and He pushed me into that plan of relief. But if I had His Word to rely on, things would have been different. And only He knows how much more I struggled and screwed up, because I was using something else as my fix, instead of Him. Let’s replay my past, but with the Word instead of exercise:

The Word allowed me to navigate through the stresses of my life. The Word was the one constant that was always with me, no matter where I was, what I was doing, who I was with, and how I was feeling. The Word was the one thing I even shared with my friends and my Mom. I can honestly say that the Word defines who I am.
Wow! That is why God is here for us. That is why God gave us His Word. His Word should accompany us daily in our walk through this world. He knows what we need, just when we need it. He also knows when we will replace His knowledge with our own. And so He has given us His Word to guide us down the right path, not down our own backroad that will complicate life and hurt us.
If I had spent time every day reading His Word and praying, I still would have had time to exercise. But I would have had a perspective on life that was designed to help me. That daily dose of God’s Truth would have transformed my walk into a purposeful plan of understanding and growth. I can only imagine the difference it would have made for my family. 

I began my walk with God ten years ago. And at that point, I did include Him in my daily walk. I tried very hard to listen for Him when I was broken, and I have learned a great deal of patience. I have still screwed up, while wandering off the path He had in place for me. It is hard to wait for answers. It is hard to understand sorrow. It is hard to forgive. But God never said anything would be easy. He said He would always be there and never leave us. He said He knew exactly what we needed to become who we are meant to be. He forgave us when we didn’t even believe in Him. And that is why I continue to find peace in the midst of pain. He knows. And I will continue to rely on Him, and Thank Him for all things. I will continue to make Him a part of my day; He gave it to me.
Thank You Jesus for waiting as I muddled through life. Thank You Jesus for forgiving me every time I took a U-Turn or the backroad. Thank You Jesus for giving me peace, even when I walked into mayhem. And Thank You for giving me an outlet for all my emotions. I’m going to exercise now. 

Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.