A dear friend of ours recently told us the story of how making small adjustments to her posture has made a huge difference in her life. These small changes have meant her body is better aligned and as a result, she now experiences the benefit of pain-free living.
A Beautiful Picture
There is a beautiful picture or metaphor of transformed living in this wonderful story. Responsive obedience to the Holy Spirit will always bear the fruit of a transformed, God-centered lifestyle. Small, seemingly insignificant changes will bring about character and fruitfulness that reflect the life of Jesus within His Church. Making small adjustments in our lives like how we handle our time and money or what goes on in our minds when faced with various challenges. [Titus 2:11,12] Wise choices result in godly fruitfulness and develop Christlike character which best reflects the image of God.
Our Friend’s Story
Our friend told us about her first appointment with a ‘specialist exercise trainer.’This one-to-one event bore immediate results because the trainer focussed very quickly on the position of her feet while standing. Due to an old injury, she had always stood with her feet wide apart and her body slightly turned to the right. This position, which for her was quite natural gave her peace of mind when in a standing position, but the trainer helped her to see that the way she was standing was not really helping her.
Listen to the Trainer
So, the wise trainer over a period of weeks has taught her to stand with her feet slightly apart and in line with her hips. The result is that she now stands with her torso and legs facing straight on. Our friend commented that it felt strange to stand like this after years of automatically defaulting to the old habit which caused aches and pain in her back. But after a while, the benefit of adjusting to the correct positioning of her feet and hips is that it now transmits up through her body and results in better alignment. These simple responses to change have alleviated the aches and pains in her back. She now finds she holds her head high, relaxes her shoulders, and stands taller.
Reflectors of His Glory
Because of His wonderful, life-giving grace, we become reflectors of God’s life and love on earth, and making wise choices under the mentorship of the Holy Spirit will help us to ‘stand tall.’ And just like our friend experienced freedom from pain by responding to the coach, so can we as we make changes under Jesus our ‘Life Coach.’ I love the way this statement sums it all up……. “And then take on an entirely new way of life – a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces His character in you.” [1]
[1] Ephesians 4:24 The Message.