Beginners

I teach different levels of yoga; from beginners, to advanced. The other day, a man came late to one of my advanced classes. I didn’t have time to ask him about his previous experiences with yoga, but while teaching the class, I noticed the grimaces on his face, his gasps for breath and forcing his body to comply. At one point he looked so uncomfortable that quietly asked him if he was in pain. He just smiled at me.

After class I made a point to talk with him. He told me that he’d never done yoga before, but his friends had said that it worked wonders on the body. 

I agreed. Yes, yoga does work wonders on our bodies, but he’d just experienced an advanced level of yoga. I explained to him there are easier classes designed for beginners. He was glad to know that, but also wondered if he could keep coming to the advanced class. I assured him he could, but since he was just starting out, it might be beneficial for him to start at the beginning. 

What Just Happened? 

Similar to the man who’d never done yoga before, but walked into an advanced yoga class because he’d heard yoga can do wonders for the body, I too found myself as a beginner; with my faith. 

Years ago, when I contemplated ending my emotional misery by following in my Father’s footsteps, which had led him to suicide, God interrupted me. God showed up in a believable way that altered my plans and my path. Did I know what I’d agreed to when I accepted his offer; choosing life instead of death? No, I did not. 

Back then, when I had that personal encounter with Jesus, the words I’d heard Christians use; salvation, grace, and the gospel were not in my vocabulary. But, even though I didn’t know to label that experience as my starting point of faith, that is exactly what that moment of acceptance was all about. 

Consequently, from that point forward, I began walking by faith with the One who saved me. 

This walk of faith includes taking time to consider what God says in his word about things such as prayer, the Holy Spirit, marriage, forgiveness and wisdom. I get to live and express my faith everyday as I walk through small, ordinary and benign circumstances of regular living. From personal experience, I know that God does not expect me to know it all, all at once. 

Unlike the beginner who came to my advanced yoga class, walking by faith does not make me gasp for air, or cause me to grimace with pain, or force myself into doing something I cannot do. 

Why Bother?

Why bother to begin at the beginning? Salvation works wonders in one’s life. But we all have to start at the beginning, with our first step of faith.