Willing Schmilling!

"...the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."

Most of you Philistines that read my little Blog have no idea that the above quote is actually found in the Bible. Jesus made this comment to His followers in the garden when he found them sleeping after He had asked them to keep watch. He was encouraging them to be careful about falling into temptation because, "...the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." (Matthew 26:41)

What Jesus was NOT doing is giving mankind the ULTIMATE excuse for never getting off its A$$ for the next 20 centuries! I've heard it said, I've heard it quoted, I've seen it written, and yes, I even uttered it myself more times than I want to admit.

I would like to....I want to....I wish I could....I really desire to......I mean, truthfully.....believe me...The spirit is willing. But the flesh is weak.

This mantra has become, for me, the biggest load of MEADOW MUFFINS that we ever CAN or ever WILL speak! And quite frankly, I'm tired of it.

Dr. George Sheehan, a cardiologist and writer, whose writings sparked the running boom in the 70's spoke of this excuse in one of his essays published in The Essential Sheehan: A Lifetime of Running Wisdom from the Legendary Dr. George Sheehan:

"I had, of course, heard the excuse many times before. But for the first time, it occurred to me that the opposite was also true. The flesh is willing; it is the spirit that is most often weak. Our bodies are capable of astounding feats. But the horizons of our spirits do not reach beyond the TV, the stereo, and the car in the garage."

I read this essay a few weeks ago in the December Runner's World. And I can't get this quote out of my mind. No! No! No! I'm not going to break my streak at 45 and beat you all down with my running stories. The truth is, you really don't care! And my running record is a joke!

But speaking of getting beaten down. This excuse beats me down! I have heard of war injuries, sports injuries, bad knees, bad backs, weak hips.....on and on and on....ad nauseam! Yes, it seems that everyone I meet REALLY wants to get off the couch! Oh! They are so willing! But the flesh is weak!

Please tell that to whomever you want....hopefully someone just as pathetically weak-spirited as you. But do NOT tell that to me! I am no longer going to listen to it. And I'm no longer going to kindly let you off the hook if you go there with me.

In general, our flesh is fine. Our spirits are weak! Our flesh is capable of truly astounding feats.  We hear and read about them almost daily. Working moms are running marathons. Old men are climbing Everest. Chemo patients are completing Ironman Triathlons!

But for some reason, you find it necessary to give me a complete medical history after seeing the sticker on my truck. You don't have to tell me. I can see that your back hurts. It's because of that permanent curvature caused by the recliner. Of course your knees hurt. They have 40 pounds more weight on them than they should! Try some bicep work by doing some "push-aways" from the table!

Or, do nothing at all. I really could NOT care any less. I only care about my spirit and my flesh. But, don't lie to me and try to convince me that the spirit is WILLING. When, in reality, the  spirit is WEAK! I don't know how to change it. But it is. The flesh is fine!