People in the Air Force regularly have to pass a physical fitness test. As long as you remember that Uncle Sam is paying you to stay in shape and even gives you time on duty to work out, it’s generally not difficult to stay in decent shape as long as you have some discipline and routine in place. When I was on active duty, a few times a week I usually did pushups and sit ups at my dorm or house in the morning before I left for work, and a few times a week I’d leave work early to do some running, swimming, or other type of cardio at the gym. Not a lot at once, just consistently.
I remember one occasion where a handful of us were getting ready to take a PT test. We paired off to help each other count repetitions and monitor proper form. The guy I paired with was older and more senior in rank than I, and we talked about the number of pushups we expected to perform. Things have changed since I last took an Air Force PT test, but the way it used to work is that there were several components (push-ups, crunches, run, body fat measurement), and you get a different amount of points for each component depending on how well you perform. Once you’ve performed all the components, you add up the points, and the total needs to be at least a certain number in order to pass. Each component also has a minimum passing score, and a maximum number of repetitions (once you hit the max number, you don’t get any additional points for doing extra crunches, for example).
He gave me his anticipated number, which wasn’t very high. I told him that I expected to max out my number of pushups and crunches. Almost dismissively, he said “yeah, well, you’ve got that muscular build.”
I was a little taken aback and didn’t quite know what to say or how to react. Did he think I accidentally had the capability to max out my pushups and crunches, or maybe that the capability was just handed to me? The responsibility to pass a PT test belongs to each individual in the Air Force. It’s not like the military branch’s leadership kept it a secret that we’d have to take these tests periodically, or that as a professional warrior susceptible to being deployed to warzones it might be a good idea to have a reasonably good baseline fitness level.
I never figured out whether he was serious or not. It certainly left an impression though.
If you know you have a test coming up…in any aspect of life…and you want to do well on it, it would behoove you to prepare for it. There’s an old saying: “Fortune favors the prepared.” It means that people who prepare for challenges tend to be more successful in overcoming them than the people that don’t prepare. Jesus said in John chapter 16 that “in this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Although Jesus was talking to His disciples right before the events of His arrest, trial, and execution, I believe the same message applies for Christ-followers today. If that’s not an indication of an upcoming test, maybe 2 Timothy 3:12 will spell it out a little clearer. “In fact, everyone who wants to live a Godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”
No bones about it. If you follow Jesus, and other people know you follow Jesus, you’re going to have to take some flak. Bet on it.
So there you have it: you have a test coming up. It may be today, it may be decades from now, but you know it’s coming. To pass the test you may not have to “beat” the one doing the persecuting; passing the test might simply mean bearing up under the pressure or not giving in to what all the voices around you are saying.
Are you spending time in God’s word more than just whenever you go to church? Do you pray more than just basic prayers, and more than just at meal times? Do you read books or articles that help explain the things that are in the Bible? If you listen to podcasts about the stock market, retirement, politics, etc., those things are important, but are you also finding the time to listen or learn about something that has a longer-lasting effect?
Christ Jesus loves you (and those confronting you), will empower you, and will be with you until He returns or calls you home. In the meantime, just like in the Air Force, it’s the responsibility of everyone who wants to pass the test to prepare for it. Not a lot at once, just consistently.
Your test is coming, and fortune favors the prepared.
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