This week has been quite rubbish really, for the past few weeks there has been this nasty virus making its way around the ship. That is the problem with living in such cramped conditions with re-circulated air conditioning. Once a germ gets onto the ship it goes around and around from person to person; and this week it was my turn to get it.
I knew I was getting it one day this week when I woke up with a sore throat, this got worse and worse through the day. I went to bed thinking "Hopefully it will be better when I wake up". But that was not the case; much to the joy of everyone else on the ship I woke up and couldn't speak! Then I started getting the symptoms of full on man flu! Sorry ladies, you just can't understand how bad man flu actually is! I had a couple of really bad days, but I think now, although I am still a bit groggy and rough I am through the worst. I hope so because I want to be well when I go home!
I think one of the reasons I got this illness is because about two weeks ago I thought "I am fed up of getting up at 5 am, I only have a few weeks left, I'm going to stop going training." Since I have stopped going training it seems my body has just decided it has had enough and I end up waking up every morning feeling more rough and tired than I ever did when I was getting up at 5am.
But what has this little moan got to do with spiritual life? Well quite a lot really. When you look at it, this illness is a lot like sin in our lives. I stopped physical training and as soon as I did illness, aches and pains crept into my body. Much in the same way if I stopped my spiritual training, if I stopped reading my Bible and praying sin could easily creep back into my life.
That sin can also be infectious, spreading into others, as my actions could affect what others do and how they act. Just as this virus is spread around the ship via the cramped conditions. So my actions and what others see me doing in these cramped conditions could affect the
way other people act.
In the Bible Paul knew about how important keeping your spiritual training on track was, he wrote a letter to a young lad called Timothy. Timothy was a young Christian who Paul took under his wing and sent out to preach the Gospel. In a letter of guidance and encouragement
Paul said to him:
1 Timothy 4:8 (NIV)
8 For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.
I am quite surprised how my body has reacted so badly to simply stopping training for a few weeks, I thought it would give it a rest and make me feel better and more energetic; but I could not have been more wrong. It is also essential we keep our spiritual training up, even when
we find it hard and tough going.
So what is the point of this post? I know it has turned into a bit of a rant! Well the point is, keep up your spiritual training, even when it is tough, or there are other things you want to do instead. Don't get spiritually lazy. Because when you do, sin and old habits can easily creep back into your life.
The Sailing Salvationist
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