by Brandon Robbins

The first time I really started taking care of my body through eating and exercise was in the spring of 2010. And honestly, the only reason I did so was because I was about to get married. I wanted to look good for my wedding.

So, I ordered the P90X workout program, and I decided to give it everything I had. I purchased all of the food they recommended. I got the equipment I needed. I blocked off time each day to exercise. I was going to get ripped!

And for about 40 days, I stuck with it. I ate the food – most of the time. I exercised almost every day.

But then the wedding drew closer. Deadlines began to arrive. The stress began to mount. Time seemed of the essence.

The workouts became harder and harder to maintain, until finally I said, “I’m done! I look good enough.” I knew that I couldn’t stick with it any longer. So I resigned myself to the hope that the flash bulbs on our wedding day might blind my future wife to the chicken wings I called arms.

Have you ever been in a place like that? Have you ever made a new year’s resolution but never kept it? Started a diet but never finished it? Began to exercise, but eventually gave up on it?

For many of us, that’s the story of our lives when it comes to our bodies. We begin with tons of excitement, but it only takes us so far. Then life sets in and what seemed so important a month ago now seems like a burden we can no longer force ourselves to do.

The question, then, is how do we keep this from happening? How do we stave off defeat? How can we start something and actually stick with it?

When the Apostle Paul was starting new churches and spreading the word about Jesus in the early days of Christianity, he faced the same problem. He would go to a city and teach people about Jesus. They would get all excited and promise to commit their lives to Him. But months later, he would receive word that they had strayed back to their old lives. So, in response, he wrote this to them: “Let us not give up meeting together. Some are in the habit of doing this. Instead, let us cheer each other up with words of hope” (Hebrews 10:25).

In other words, what the Bible is saying is that if we really want to stick with the things we commit to – especially when they become difficult – we need other people. We need friends; we need family, we need each other to help us to push through the challenges.

The truth is that it’s so much easier to motivate yourself to wake up at 6 a.m. to exercise if you have someone who you’re going to be exercising with. It’s easier to cook healthy meals if you have someone to enjoy them with. God created us to need and rely upon one another. We need a team.

So, as you try to take care of your body, ask yourself: Who can join me? Who can I ask to pray for me when things get hard? To whom can I look to hold me accountable for eating right? Who would be willing to exercise with me each day?

At Courtland United Methodist Church, we have a women’s exercise group that is open to the public that has been meeting together for over two years now. Every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday at 5 p.m., a group of ladies comes together to walk, stretch and do a variety of other exercises.

Over time, new people have come in, and others have left. Some have lost a lot of weight, others only a little. But the one thing that keeps them coming back, week in and week out, is one another. Because we were created to rely upon one another. We were designed to need others to help us in our struggles and celebrate in our victories.

So, may you find those in your life who can help you honor God with your body. May you be willing to be that sort of person for others. And may you see the power of what God can do when we rely upon one another.

BRANDON ROBBINS is the pastor of Courtland United Methodist Church. He can be contacted at 653-2240 or pastor@courtlandumcva.org.