“Deep calls unto deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me.” - Psalm 42:7
I’ve been working out at JD pretty much every other day for the last year. Same old routine: the treadmills humming, the dumbbells clanking, the mirrors reminding you that no matter how much you lift, the belly is still negotiating with the bacon.
And on the far wall, bold as brass, those words scream at you:
BIGGER. BETTER. STRONGER.
I’ll be honest with you - for the longest time, I didn’t pay them much attention. Just another bit of gym wallpaper, like the neon lights or the guy who grunts so loud you wonder if he’s wrestling a demon. But the other day, those words jumped out at me - not politely, not gently, but like a werewolf outta London.
And I realised something: these aren’t just gym words. They’re life words. They’re Spirit words.
BIGGER.
Not bigger biceps (though that’s nice too), but a bigger heart.
A bigger vision.
A bigger grace that forgives when people don’t deserve it.
Isaiah said it like this:
“Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back.” (Isaiah 54:2)
That’s bigger living. Not shrinking to fit people’s opinions, but stretching because God says your tent isn’t big enough for what He’s about to do.
BETTER.
Not better than the guy curling too heavy and dropping the weights (you know who I mean). Better than who you were yesterday.
Better in patience.
Better in character.
Better in those secret decisions no one sees.
John the Baptist said it best: “He must increase, I must decrease.” (John 3:30)
Better isn’t about competing with anyone else. It’s about letting Jesus do the chiselling work - sanding off pride, carving out love, shaping you into His image.
STRONGER.
Not stronger abs (though mine keep hiding like they’re on holiday in Fiji), but stronger in the soul.
Strong enough to still pray when it feels like heaven is silent.
Strong enough to bless your enemies instead of Facebook-blasting them.
Strong enough to stand when the storm is screaming “fall.”
Paul nailed it: “When I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:10)
Strength isn’t swagger. Strength is surrender. Strength is knowing the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you.
The gym teaches what the soul forgets: growth doesn’t happen overnight.
It’s repetition.
It’s resistance.
It’s showing up when you’d rather stay in bed.
Muscle grows by tearing and healing. Faith grows by breaking and rebuilding. Hope grows by waiting. Love grows by testing.
The barbell is a sermon: what feels crushing today becomes tomorrow’s strength.
And maybe that’s why those three words on the wall aren’t just gym hype. They’re a whisper from heaven: Every prayer is a rep. Every act of love is a set. Every “yes, Lord” is shaping you into someone bigger in heart, better in spirit, stronger in faith.
🌌 Midweek Benediction
Wednesday is that awkward middle child of the week - not fresh like Monday, not free like Friday. But it’s holy ground.
Because Wednesday is where you choose: push through, or pull back.
So lift your eyes beyond the mirrors and dumbbells. See the eternal gym where the Holy Spirit spots you in every struggle.
And one day, when the final rep is done, the sweat is wiped, the tears are dried, you won’t just hear “Bigger, Better, Stronger.”
You’ll hear the Voice that makes galaxies tremble and weary hearts rejoice:
“Well done, good and faithful servant.” - Matthew 25:21
💭 Reflection: What “weights” is God using right now to make you bigger in love, better in spirit, and stronger in faith?