My preference is to exercise out of doors but my dislike of being more than comfortably cold takes precedence over natural beauty. So in less than ideal weather I use my local rec center. Though the date was May 1 there were skiffs of ice and snow yesterday morning so I took up residence with an indoor treadmill at the rec center. I am probably the only one who feels this way but I dislike the string of tv's that are stationed every 10 feet or so along the row over exercise equipment. I try to choose a spot between two tv's so I can ignore them as much as possible.Yesterday I was next to a pleasant looking young woman who had brought her scriptures to read while she ran. They were opened on the book holder in front of her and they were obviously well-read as they were marked in red pencil and the pages looked worn. The problem was the tv just to her left. It's captivating influence wouldn't let her be. Though she tried to glance at the pages of her scriptures in front of her, her eyes were constantly dawn back to the steamy soap opera on the screen. I thought how symbolic this little scene was. Our hearts desire good but we are so easily distracted by the worldliness around us. No wonder the Lord's injunction to keep our eye single to His glory is repeated numerous times. The promise is that if we will do so our "whole bodies shall be filled with light, and there shall be no darkness in (us);" (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 88:67)
To my left there was a gentleman watching a different program. This one was of murder and mayhem. I finally became weary of trying to shut out what was on my left and right so I went to the downstairs track to run the old fashioned way. As I have many times before, I wonder how long good people can entertain themselves with a steady flow of iniquity and maintain a degree of godliness. It seems the laws of life teach us otherwise. We reap what we sow. It weighs on my mind.
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