“And it is only right that I should keep on reminding you as long as I live… to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things.” 2 Peter 1:13 NLT, 1:15b NIV
I’ve always been enamored with juggling. To the point that in my early 20’s I went and bought a book, 3 small bean bag balls, and then proceeded to toss them around wildly until some semblance of order occurred. It was a long while. The process of learning to juggle is oddly curious. You have the muscles, you have the coordination, and you have the brain power to get it done, but it does not happen until you teach your body exactly what it means to keep three objects in the air simultaneously using only two hands. And this process of learning is referred to as muscle memory. That is, “the ability to reproduce a particular movement without conscious thought, acquired as a result of frequent repetition of that movement.” And to acquire said muscle memory for my juggling it took only three things, time, patience, and tons of repetition.
This morning coming across the first chapter of 2 Peter, I see a similar mention from Peter regarding the ways of living a fruitful Christian life. You see, just as in juggling three balls, 3 rings, or 3 clubs, you cannot just pick them up and start juggling perfectly. Only after much repetition can you expect to pick them up and be successful. How curious that we are told here that good ol’ practice is also what is required to walk a rewarding, fulfilling, purpose-filled life for Christ.
As I continued on in my juggling journey, the progress was slow but steady. I must have bent over and picked up dropped balls at least fifty-thousand times. I started to think that juggling was more about back strength from bending over than coordination. But slowly, and with much patience and time, the muscle memory started to form. You see, after repeating the same thing enough times, it will become like a natural reaction. The body’s muscles will react as they have been trained and the result will be an act as natural as a knee reflexing when hit with the Dr.’s little rubber hammer thingy. (technically called a plexor)
So why do we think that the Christian life is any different? We expect to crack open our Bible once a month, visit church only on major holidays, utter a prayer only when our life is falling apart, and then we wonder why our Christian muscle memory is so poor. Peter is crystal clear here in what the Christian life needs in order to react to our own sin nature as well as the sinfulness of this world in a way that is natural, instinctive, and automatic…great repetition of hearing the truth of God over the lies of this world.
The simple question stands, which are you getting more muscle memory practice on today, the things of this world or the things of God. Are you watching more CNN and Fox news or spending more time in the Word of God, hearing pure truth over engineered truth? Are you spending more time surfing Facebook, Instagram, and Tik Tok or spending more time in prayer to the Lord, simply speaking, listening, and building a relationship with your Heavenly Father? Are you spending more time with worldly friends doing the things of this world or spending time with brothers and sisters in Christ in true fellowship, that is, speaking of Christ, sharing each other’s burdens, and building each other up with the spiritual gifts you have been granted? Are you spending more time serving yourself or more time serving others? Folks, the formula is very simple, what you juggle the most will be what you’re good at juggling.
And just exactly what is it that we are to be juggling to the point of muscle memory in the Lord? Well, Peter tells us just a few verses earlier in the chapter. To our faith in God, we are to add: virtue (moral excellence), knowledge (insight and understanding into the ways of God), self-control (sexual restraint), steadfastness (patience), Godliness (knowing and doing the right ways of God), and brotherly love (seeking the best for others before self). And we are told that if we commit these good things to muscle memory and they are not only habit, but are increasing in our lives, we will be effective and fruitful for the Lord in our Christian walk.
Peter told us that he would keep on reminding us as long as he lived, yet here God has preserved his words for all time to continue doing just that…reminding us that we need time, patience and countless repetition in hearing the Word of God so that we may react to situations in our life, not from our own power, but from muscle memory in the righteous ways of the Lord.
I pray at any time today you are able to instantly recall the right ways of the Lord…juggle on brothers and sisters. And by the way, yes, I’m available for kids birthday parties ~ Dan
photo ~ "sailing", La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico
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