As I huffed and puffed my way through a Zumba class recently, it occurred to me how similar this was to church. Not that I sweat much in church, or huff and puff for that matter. But in both church and an aerobics class...
1) No one wants to be in front.
The joke in church goes that you have to get there early to get a seat in the back. I've found the same goes for aerobics. We are so exposed and vulnerable in both exercising and worship. We don't want anyone to see if we make a mistake. And no one likes a show off either in fitness or holiness. If you do know all the steps, you look around to others who may seem lost and encourage them.
2) It may seem like it's all about the leader but it really isn't.
We all know those instructors who have groupies. And I agree some leaders are better than others - both in church and aerobics. But the leader is just part of the picture. What really gets your heart pumping in a class is the loud music and the energy of all the exercisers reverberating off the walls. In church, I have known people to forgive some mediocre words from the pulpit because the rest of worship and the community were so strong. Who would come to worship if it was just a sermon? I wouldn't. It's about being together as the people of God.
3) You will be challenged but not discouraged.
After a good aerobics class, you know you got a better work out than you could by yourself. That's why we always groan when the instructor says, "one more set!" If it were up to us, we'd go easy on ourselves. The class can't be too hard, though, or we would get discouraged and never come back. The same is true in church. If you leave feeling like you've had a work out, you've really been to church.