Tuesday, November 05, 2019

The Weight



Unless providentially hindered, I try to have some type of workout every day. Right now, I'm doing the treadmill and lifting. This entry, from 12-9-05, is about the weight room.

Bob Dylan was music to many in the 1960's. His lyrics ran the gamut from social justice to romantic love. Many of his songs became hits for others. It Ain't Me Babe was the signature hit for the Turtles while The Mighty Quinn reignited the career of Manfred Mann. My favorite Dylan tunes? I would have to go with I Want You and A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall. For a time, Dylan was backed up by a quintet who would become known simply as The Band. The group gained a following in their own right, even gracing the January 12, 1970 cover of TIME MAGAZINE. While not getting much AM radio airtime, they did record one of the better known 1960's songs, The Weight, part of the soundtrack of the movie Easy Rider. It still shows up in commercials, currently being used in a wireless phone ad. The Weight is a story type of song with a number of characters, like Anna Lee and Crazy Chester, playing roles in the dialogue. There is a website that discusses the meaning of every word and line in excruciating detail, almost like the dissection of Don McLean's American Pie. According to group leader Robbie Robertson, The Weight was such a simple song that they never rehearsed it, going straight to the studio where they recorded it in only three or four takes. The Band was not even sure it would be included in their Music From Big Pink album- it turned out to be a classic.

Today was a lifting morning. Our school workout facility features free weights. This consists of adding plates of different weights to various bars. There are two kind of plates, metal and rubber. I prefer the rubber ones for two reasons. First, they have a larger circumference which makes it look like I am lifting more than I am. The second is more important. When I am done with a set when using the rubber plates, I simply drop the bar. When I use the metal plates, I have to set the bar back down on the floor. If I drop the metal plates, I could cause damage, even though the weight room surface is covered with rubber mats. It is much harder for me to set them down than drop them, especially at the end of my workout when I am struggling to catch my breath. Using the rubber weights, I just let the bar go and move on to the next routine. That's kind of how it is with our burdens. With the Lord, we can just drop them into his lap. We know we aren't going to hurt his image of us or damage our relationship with him. With each other, we worry about what the effect of our unloading will be . We try to be delicate, even when we're the ones trying to let someone else shoulder part of our load. I like to sing, 'Cast your burdens unto Jesus.' When you cast, you don't have to be careful and you don't have to worry about fallout. The Weight finishes with the line, 'they put the load right on me.' As Christians, we put the load right on Jesus. We can drop our worries just like I drop those rubber weights!

Applicable quote of the day:
"I have read in Plato and Cicero sayings that are wise and very beautiful but I have never read in either of them: 'Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden.' "
Augustine


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFqb1I-hiHE

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1

http://www.hawleybooks.com/
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com

3 comments:

Devin Raechelle said...

Me and this Jon guy are going head to head with the comments but i am determined to WIN ^_^
*Devin*
#1 always and forever!!!!

Tra La La Boom De Ay said...

Awesome post! I love the analogy of dropping the weights! Beautiful writing!

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