There’s nothing like a good workout to release stress on the body. I recently encountered a new term for sweat & I love it….here it is: “I’m not sweating, that’s my body crying.” Isn’t that great?! I love workouts that make my body cry!

A few years ago, I started running as a way to release stress, to have some “me” time, which also doubled as my “girl time”, since I would run with a partner. However, I kept losing my running partners. They moved away…like really far away! I live in the southeastern part of the USA, and my running parters moved to California, then Texas, and then I walked with my neighbor, and she moved to upstate New York! Since running alone was just not the same, I tried out Jazzercise and I instantly loved it!

I know, I know, a one-piece full-body, belted leotard just flashed through your head, didn’t it? If it did, that’s okay, it won’t change my stance of my love for Jazzercise.

Anyhoo, I have to tell you what happened tonight at Jazzercise. I have several acquaintances in class, and we’ll do a little small talk before class. There’s one lady that just shines. She always has a smile & an easy laugh. She’s one of those people that just make you feel better by just being near her. I don’t know a whole lot about her, but we have established that we are sisters in Christ. It was one of those things you could just sense, you know?

Tonight, after the cardio portion, we headed to get our free weights off the rack to go into the weight portion of the workout, and when we passed, I told her “hey”, and she asked, “how are you?”, and I said, “I’m fine”. All seems like simple chit-chat while we were quickly transitioning, right? Wrong. Being a sister in the faith, she knew I wasn’t right. And she was right. The sweat had not exactly shaken all the stress off just yet. She immediately asked, “do you need me to pray for you?”.

Um, yes please! Like all the time! I don’t know that there’s a moment that goes by that I don’t need someone praying for me. I’m a bona-fide mess! Without Christ, without prayers, I’d NEVER be able to get through a day.

I told her that I would love that and that we could catch up later. Then, with the workout gearing back up, we parted ways.

During the weights routines, I thought so much about that very brief encounter. I wonder all the time how people who do not have a community of faith even get through this thing called life.

The sweat didn’t take my stress tonight, but my sister-in-Christ did. And for her, I’m so grateful. She “said” more to me in that brief encounter than she will ever know. Just knowing someone is praying for you is such a powerful thing. For our battles are not against flesh & blood, but rather against the forces of darkness, against evil. Prayer combats this, and it’s a widely unused tool in this battle.

Let’s gear up, sisters & brothers in Christ. We’ve got a battle to fight.

Lord, thank you so much for placing encouragers in our paths at just at the right time. Thank you for faithful prayer warriors. Thank you for my sister-in-Christ tonight who just “knew”. Lord, help me to be an encourager, as she encouraged me. Please give me your eyes to see when there is someone in need of prayer, someone that needs lifting up, someone that needs more of You. Father, for those that don’t have a community of faith, I pray that you will lead them to one. Lead them by just the right person in just the right moment, and let them be uninhibited to receive You. Let them ask, and then, Lord, equip us with the words to say, Your words, not ours, so that they can come to know You too, and have this awesome community of faith that has been such a gift to me. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:12