C. S. Lewis suggests we too often settle for impoverishment when we consider our spiritual aspirations:

“Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased” (C. S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory).

If we took Jesus’s words seriously concerning our hope, we would all be going for gold in our kingdom pursuits, even as our Olympic athletes strive for their own gold in bobsledding, ice hockey or figure skating.

St. Paul likes to use the athletic metaphor as an encouragement for seeking spiritual excellence. He says, ”Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life, to which you were called…” (I Tim 6:12). And he sums up his own life in these words, ”I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (II Tim 4:7).

Why settle for merely a pass in the crucial dimension of our spiritual formation! Why limit our world to a sandbox when the great strand is available to explore? Going for gold pays the best dividend! It brings the greatest satisfaction now and enables us to break through the death barrier to reach and enjoy the distant celestial shore.

So let’s get sweaty! Your spiritual weights await!