Unlikely Worship

Worship has been defined as reverent love and homage rendered to God or a god. And pretty much the last place on earth that I would have thought about worshipping God would be the gym where I exercise. However, what happened at the gym....can't stay at the gym this time. 


My friend Felicia and I have been going to the gym together for three weeks now. We don't really visit while we are at the gym...because we are working out...and I am out of breath 5 minutes into the workout, but we do chit chat in the car on the way there and back. We take our headphones (when we remember) and when we don't we watch the closed captioned TV. A few workouts ago, I saw that Flea had found the Christian Music Channel on the satalite TV right there on the treadmill, so I motioned to her (carefully so I didn't fall off the treadmill....because that wouldn't be pretty) to give me the channel number so I could listen to some good music while I walked. But, as fate would have it...my TV wouldn't pick up the channel....so I ended up watching Everyone Loves Raymond (a play by play of my own marriage). 


BUT.....today was my day. After two attempts, I finally got the channel to come in. Within minutes I was walking the pounds away to Amy Grant, Sonic Flood, Chris Tomlin, The Museum and more. What an encouragement the songs were to me. As I walked I was motivated to continue, to keep working hard, to not give up and to even lift my eyes to the hills. Since I was striving to fulfill a new goal in distance these songs meant a little more to me. I would have to say I think the play list was handpicked by God for me. And then I realized that through the sweat...there was a little tear of thanksgiving. I'm so thankful that God blesses us with the exact kind of encouragement that we need. When we are defeated, feeling vulnerable, discourage, confused, fearful....He's there with a song, or a friend, or a scripture. 


In the unlikeliest places...He's there. Offering grace for the moment. And today...with sweat dripping off me, my heart racing from excersize, right there on my treadmill....I offered a little worship of my own....a little...Somewhere Down the Road, Save Me, I Will Follow You, My Help Comes from the Lord....and a few other songs....and yes...the guy next to me might have thought "what kind of crazy lady is that over there mouthing the words to all these songs"....but in that unlikely place my heart was overwhelmed by God's care and love for me. It's in these moments that I am more aware and more in awe of who He is...and I've only experienced a glimpse!