Don't think about it. Just do it.

A little wisdom today from a weightlifting coach (who shall remain unnamed): "Don't think about it. Just do it. Do your thinking before you walk up to the bar. After that, you're done. Thinking about it any more won't help a single thing." Now, for those you unfamiliar with my hobbies and extra activities, i've kind of got this thing for olympic weightlifting. To wrap it up in a tortilla and serve it easy, the movements involved in olympic weightlifting are the best blend of simplicity and complexity i can think of. Every aspect counts, but it can't be done slowly or meticulously. It is by far the most controlled explosion of pure energy generated by the human body in direct opposition to resisting weight. As such, there is no such thing as too much practice. Repetition. Emphasis. Focusing on small transitions in order to secure the larger lift altogether. If you're a little off at any point, the rest is impacted in profound ways that, more often than not, dirty up the finish. So my current coach always reminds me to think about what i'm going to do before i walk up to the bar, but once i lock in, stop thinking and DO. If you think too much once you're in the situation, you'll probably be focusing on one part too much and miss another. Thus, you need to have what you're going to do already in mind before you get there. It reminds me of life in a lot of ways of how my relationship with God impacts the way i live. There's this crucial rhythm of spending time in prayer and meditation but also exercising those things that are gained in the quiet moments. I can spend days and weeks in my mind working the things of God out, but if i never 'step up to the bar' and exercise what i've been processing, there is never any real growth. God gave us his Word to LIVE by, not just to read. Isn't it ironic that we allow the path God sets before us to remain there, pumping ourselves up with motivational scripture with some words of the saints and other dead theologians thrown in there without ever actually walking the path. If we do set foot to follow our Lord, we can start to meticulously and selfishly criticizing the little parts of our walk. Did i do that right? Did i say the right thing? It's a selfish inspection comparing ourselves not to the words of God but to the standards of people who write a Law of Letters and not of Grace. With practice and learning, i should begin to know what is right and what is wrong simply because it is out of line with my relationship with God. The very moment there is disconnect it should be a red flag to correct form and step into the light. The Holy Spirit is our connect to God, and if there is some break in how we live we will feel that tug of His Love saying, "Hey, where are you? Why are you hiding?" Those famous Words from the Garden ring throughout eternity. There is no condemnation in it, only a longing for a pure connection without interruption. When you hit a lift with every movement in the right place, reacting at the right moments in the right direction, "heavy" is no longer the word used for the weights you lifted. But should you be a little off in any particular, you'll have extra work for yourself. Wasted energy. As the weight does increase, you will eventually fail where you should have succeeded, but could not simply because of a lack of excellence in form. Walk in line with your Lord and listen to His Words of correction when you are out of form. For where we should fail on our own strength, the glory could be given to God in seeing His wisdom come to fruition.