My duties at work have changed. For this contract I work mostly as mobile patrol. That means I drive as much as 330 km (that’s 205 miles for you non-metric folk) each shift. Now on my previous contracts of foot patrol I kept limber. But now, even though I get out of the truck many (many!) times each night, I don’t walk much at a time. And so Gramps gets cramps.

The truck is warm on these almost-getting-to-winter nights. That’s nice, but I’m used to walking. Two shifts ago I got out of the truck to open a barricade and I had to tough it up real fast. My legs screamed, “Ouch! I’m stiff and you will have to work out the kinks.” I couldn’t let anyone see that, so I told my legs to hush their cries and act like normal.

Well, it worked this time. Anyone looking on would never have known I was temporarily in a state of ouchy-couldn’t-run-to-catch-an-intruder-if they-were-standing-in-front-of-me crampiness.

My choice for dealing with leg cramps

So I have to exercise and take care of my moving apparatus. Problem solved.

People live their lives as though driving a vehicle. They rapidly progress from one spot to another. But they do it while they sit watching TV or at the computer. All the while the apparatus for moving us about which God made for some of us folk cramps up and soon can hardly function.

I think of the person I know who cannot walk. We found him downtown moving along only in short bursts. The battery on his scooter was almost drained. Should have plugged in before going out.

When it comes to the spiritual life, did you remember to plug in and get charged before heading out? Or were you too busy to read the Bible, study the Bible, meditate, rest in Jesus, sing, have a conversation with other spiritual people about life and service?

Are your spiritual legs cramped? Is the battery in your scooter drained of power? Are you too tired to chase the intruders into your spirit (envy, tempting sex, pride, greed, self-righteousness, lazy non-discipline, isolationism, sit satting on your sit-satter and spectating at the world or your room…)

You can’t earn your way to heaven, true, but you can work your way into spiritual flexibility and energized willingness to serve the Creator.

“Do your best to present yourself to God as a tried-and-true worker who isn’t ashamed to teach the word of truth correctly” (2 Timothy 2:15 God’s Word).

So, if you need motivation, think of Gramps and his cramps and his barely-moving legs. At the very least, it might make you laugh, and that might be all it takes to…