Growing strong muscles: the 100th day

Today was the 100th day of school. This was not a thing when I was a kid, but it's become quite the hoopla in younger grades and ICS is no exception. We spent our morning celebrating the 100th day with the other K4, K5, and 1st grade classes. The students rotated between classrooms doing different activities centered around the number 100. In one class they attempted to do 100 exercises. We did not do 100 exercises in my class because I don't have the energy to do that six times (with six classes!). I can't believe that I've already been with these kiddos for 100 days. Watching them learn and grow is a joy and delight. They have their challenging moments, but mostly they are a lot of fun to work with. Each day before lunch the class helper gets to choose whether they want to pray for lunch or they want me to do it. Today's helper (who 100 school days ago didn't know anything about God) chose to pray and this is what they said: Dear God, thank you for the 100th day. It was so much fun. Thank you for exercises to make our muscles healthy and strong. In Jesus name, Amen. 

Although I had a good chuckle from the exercises part, it also got me thinking. I'm not really a big fan of exercising, and I'm definitely not always a big fan of doing things that I know are good for me. Sometimes I don't want to run the miles that will keep me physically healthy. Sometimes I don't want to make the hard decisions that keep me mentally or emotionally healthy. But today that little four year old reminded me that if I don't, I hold myself back from growing stronger and healthier, physically, mentally, emotionally. I have to keep exercising those muscles if I want them to grow, and to thank God for the opportunities he gives me to exercise them.