The gymnasts’ routines become automatic this late in the season. They have done them repeatedly for months. The coaches’ challenge becomes to keep the gymnasts’ minds engaged in the process of honing the execution of the skills. At this point, the gymnasts can easily let their minds slip into neutral and let their bodies go simply through the motions of the routine.
To help the athletes stay focused, coaches create workouts designed to keep their brains stimulated and interested in the routines. Small changes like the introduction of a new drill or game fuel the athletes’ desire to stay mentally connected to the routine.
Sometimes our spiritual lives become captives of routine. We start our day automatically with a Scripture verse, hurried prayer and short devotional reading before racing out the door to tackle the day. Without realizing it we have allowed our minds to slip into neutral and our hearts to become disengaged from God. What was once a fresh and vibrant aspect of our faith life then becomes stale and bland through repetition. We sometimes become more connected to the routine than to God.
The things of God that are “new every morning” (Lamentations 3:23) go unnoticed, because the routine dulls our minds to the unique activity of God in Christ in our lives. We need the Holy Spirit to stimulate our minds and open our hearts to the working of God. We need Him to jar us loose from our routines and reconnect us mind, body and soul to God.
Photo by Mag Pole
Denise Larson Cooper has a passion for Christ and sharing His Word. A wife and mother of two daughters, Denise currently works as a gymnastic coach.
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Godnesia: Keeping God in Mind Each Day http://amzn.to/2GSquOD
Ordinary Days With an Extraordinary Savior – http://amzn.to/2mFGASB
Life Is a Metaphor: Recognizing God in the Everyday – http://amzn.to/2De1rU2