Everyone needs support and encouragement. Regardless of where you started or where you are, there will come a time where you need that extra push. There will come a time where you need that extra bit of help because the drive you have just isn’t enough. That happens even to the best of us, whether we are just starting out or we are an all-star at the height of our career. And when that does, when our tank is running on empty, or we need that extra push it is the help from others that can mean so much. Many times it is that help that is the difference between a championship and elimination. Having that support system is something that is so important but often times we neglect it or undervalue it. You cannot go through life lifting every load by yourself, nor should you want to. The game of life is very much a team sport. This includes people who are in the game and people who help behind the scenes. So especially with your own health, it takes a team, and we would be wise to make sure we have one and call on them regularly. This applies to all aspects of our health; physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual.

There are many parallels to life inside the gym and life outside the gym. There are many times where we are working hard to lift a heavy load. And no matter how many times we do it there is still another set of weights to lift. That can begin to wear on you. Going from season to season you may start to feel like there is something missing in your game. Often times people feel there is something missing in their life. We may begin to reflect on the mistakes we have made, the times we have slacked a little and wonder if that is why we haven’t reached some goal we aspire to. When that happens it is important to remember Galatians 6:2, “Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.” (NASB).

There are many burdens that we all carry. These are the weights that we feel throughout our daily lives. These include past sins and mistakes, responsibilities, hopes and goal, stresses, worries and anxieties, and much more. Some weights we are meant to carry and some weights we are not. But for the ones that we should carry, at times, we need a spotter. Often times people will feel alone on their fitness journey. Like they are the only ones working towards that goal. This couldn’t be further from the truth. In life, just like the gym, it helps to have people around you to encourage you, motivate you, and help you get that extra rep out. When we do this for one another we fulfill a divine quality that Jesus embodied when he came to earth and carried the cross for all of us. In sharing each other’s burdens in life and in the gym, by being an active “spotter”, we are continuing in the work that Jesus called us to do.

Jesus called us to a very high calling. He told us, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34–35, NASB). Love is an action. It takes effort and does not often come without sacrifice. For love to be genuine you will often have to help carry a load, you may even be called to carry a very heavy load. Yet one of the marks of someone who truly follows Jesus is that they don’t shy away from that calling but instead help others with the weight they are trying to lift. They act as spotters for people around us.

We see spotters all the time in the gym, it is commonplace and normal to see. But the work of a good spotter isn’t simply to carry the load when it seems too heavy, but it is to encourage that person throughout the entire work out. Many times they have to encourage that person to even show up for a workout. We should strive to do the same thing in life. In Hebrews, we are told, “…consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another.” (Heb 10:24–25, ESV). Many have a habit of doing things alone. But we cannot let that habit keep us from others. There are some workouts you cannot do effectively alone. There are some routines where you will need someone there to give you that extra drive and motivation to push a little more. And many times it is just more fun that way. In life there are many things that keep us from reaching out to others; from fully utilizing the support we have, from calling for help when we need it, and from getting that encouragement that is only a phone call away. Those are the things that we need to get past. Often times our success depends on it. You can’t shoulder every weight alone. There will be a time where God will call you to a new personal best, but you can only do that with the confidence that comes from having a spotter.

As you go through your routine make a list of the people you can depend on to keep you encouraged and those that can help you shoulder a load from time to time. Do this for the gym and for your daily life. Find the people who mesh well with your routine. Then write another list of the people who come to you for that spot from time to time. Write down the people who come to you for encouragement, advise, or look to you just to vent and share the recent happenings. When you write those lists out and look at those names you will see the names of your own personal support group. Everybody needs one. Nobody is so good to not need any help, and no one is above helping others. Instead, we are called to do that, and in doing so we will often show people who Jesus is.