That Time I Put My Yoga Pants on Backwards

Not long ago, I was shopping at Walmart when I passed by a rack of women’s T-shirts that said, “Yoga Pants Are Not Pants.”

I got a little chuckle out of it, said a quick Amen, and went on my merry way.

Earlier that day at a different store, I had bought two new pairs of yoga pants in an effort to psych myself up about being more consistent in working out this year.

You know, New Year, New You, right?

(If I was a betting person, I would wager that more yoga pants are purchased in the month of January than any other month of the year.)

Not long after that shopping trip—right at the beginning of my workout at home—I noticed that my yoga pants kept inching down in the back.

After tugging on them several times, I thought, Maybe I should have tried these on before I bought them.

Especially since I bought two pairs of them.

It wasn’t a horrible feeling.

But it was a nuisance.

I couldn’t fully focus on my workout. There’s no telling how many times I had to pull up my pants during that forty-five minutes.

Not the best way to start off the New Year.

It wasn’t until a little later, when I was getting ready to clean up, that I figured out what the problem was.

My new yoga pants weren’t the wrong size or style.

I had them on backwards!

Now it made perfect sense why they kept falling down.

At this point you might be wondering, Why in the world are you writing a post about wearing yoga pants backwards?

I’ll be happy to tell you why.

For many years in my walk with Christ, something seemed off. I couldn’t put my finger on it.

I was doing everything I thought a “good” Christian should do for God.

I’m naturally a morning person, so I got up extra early to spend time in His Word and pray. I even kept a prayer journal.

I read through the Bible in a year several times and had Scriptures posted all over my refrigerator, my house, and even in my car.

I helped keep local Christian bookstores in business through devouring shelves full of Bible-based books that promised to “help me grow” as a Christian.

I even took a class at my church on how to share my faith and lead others to Jesus.

And even though I always had butterflies on visitation night, I asked people if they knew where they would go if they died that day and shared the gospel with them.

Pretty good, huh?

There was just one problem. I didn’t feel any closer to God after doing all those things for Him. There was still something missing.

Until that moment when my eyes were opened to the truth.

Until that moment when God shed His beautiful light on my backward perspective.

He showed me that I couldn’t get any closer to Him than I already was. His Word describes my eternal union with His Spirit as “one spirit with Him” (1 Cor. 6:17).

He showed me that His 24/7 indwelling Spirit was my life, and apart from dependence upon Him, I could do nothing of eternal value (John 15:5).

All that time I spent doing things for Him, He wanted me to acknowledge my spiritual union with Him and live from His life!

At first glance it may seem that the words for and from aren’t that much different.

But they are worlds apart in God’s economy.

For implies that I am separate from Him (outside of Him), while from acknowledges my 24/7/365 union with Him and my dependence upon His indwelling life to power my living.

I have to be honest with you. Sometimes I live as though (in the words of that famous mouse Fievel) He is “somewhere out there” instead of “right here inside me.”

Even though I have been walking in these truths for several years now, I still forget.

Just like I forgot this morning and put my yoga pants on backwards. Again.

But the God who lives inside my new heart continually reminds me when my perspective is off.

And when my yoga pants are on backwards.

And for both, I am so grateful. (Smile.)

Dear reader, is there something off in your walk with Christ? Have you found yourself working for God instead of living from and enjoying Him? 

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If you enjoyed this post, I invite you to check out all of my books and my video series based on my first devotional.