cross/fit

I’ve been a church-going girl all of my life, literally since I was born. Christianity has always played a huge role in my life and worldview, and a key expression of that for me is attending church.  In my strongest moments, I show up, worship, connect with or encourage someone else there, and take home just enough inspiration and spiritual growth to make it through whatever the coming week will throw at me. In my weakest moments, I try to find ways to attend more – every time the doors are open, if I can. I need that time in sacred space and company.

About ten years ago, however, I began to entertain for the first time the idea that maybe I’d just rather stay home.  After all, millions of Millennials and Gen Zs are doing it; that would make me youthful and trendy-cool, right?  Some of my reasons for just skipping the whole thing:  

• I don’t fit in / don’t agree / don’t like some of the people there.
• They only want me for my money.
• I don’t have time.
• That’s my only day to sleep in.
• I don’t like the way it’s organized.
• It’s boring.
• I had a bad experience.
• I don’t need to.  I can make it on my own.

More than all of these, I discovered that the age-old excuse I’d been hearing for years was actually correct: The church really is full of hypocrites. It was starting to feel like an act or a game, and I was tired of playing my role for fewer and fewer tangible rewards. Yet something compelled me to stick with it and it wasn’t until Sunday School recently that I finally found the perfect picture for why: Going to church is a lot like going to the gym.

The people I have met at the gym are all – God love them and no disrespect – hypocrites on some level or another.  For one thing, SO many of them are creating a show of their presence and efforts. They aren’t just going to the gym; they must be seen going to the gym. Whether getting their names as high as possible on the list of monthly achievements or flexing their latest PBs on all the social channels, it’s not enough for them merely to work out and leave; they must also be noticed and affirmed for their virtue in doing so.

Second, whether conspicuously or not, their motives for showing up are at least a little bit selfish. There is always some kind of self-serving end…and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Sure, some have come to connect with that cute gym bunny who always comes in at 7AM, or as compulsive exercisers who fear going a day without it. But others come to socialize, to network, to absorb the motivating presence and activity of others because they simply can’t do it on their own. These are perfectly valid reasons for exercising in community.

Regardless of people’s appearance or motivation for being inside the gym, no one leaves those doors and lives a perfect life of health in the rest of their daily lives. There is no one who never, ever makes a bad health choice, be it eating something off-diet, sitting too much, neglecting their rest and relationships, or balancing their time management and priorities imperfectly.  Some of us may come closer than others, but no one can claim a life of perfect health and choices one hundred percent of the time.

Yet we would ever condone these observations as valid reasons not to go to the gym. In fact, going to the gym for most of us is actually a way to combat the other forces in our lives that have adverse effects on our health…and the same is true for going to church.

Important note: Church trauma is a real thing, and there are some truly unhealthy churches out there hurting and/or taking advantage of people; if you are in one of those, please do not hear this post as some kind of validation that you have to stay or suffer through abuse. You do not; that is not of God. Get out of your unhealthy church, just find a way not to give up on your faith or the whole church altogether because of them.

Going to church – just like going to the gym, or exercising regularly anywhere – is a discipline. It’s hard for a reason, and that reason is often the human element (church/work/life would be easy if we just didn’t have to deal with all these pesky people, amiright?). Yet as we love those humans, as we work those compassion and patience muscles, as we stretch ourselves to connect and empathize, we’re building stronger church bodies and stronger spirits within ourselves. The hard parts make us better.