y husband shook his head when I told him what I wanted to do. His expression conveyed a mixture of amusement and irritation. "Well, that'll be another $300 down the drain," he said.

"But it's a really good deal," I countered. "There's even a playroom for the kids!" Reluctantly, he agreed. So I skipped off to our local health club and signed up for an annual membership.

Never mind that my tennis shoes were collecting dust bunnies or that the membership card from the last time I'd plunked down our hard-earned cash was in pristine condition - begging to be used, but rarely seeing daylight. "This time will be different," I thought naively.

Alas, one year later, the abs of steel I dreamed of still resembled a bowl of jelly. I had started strong, but when results weren't visible as quickly as I'd hoped, I traded the Stairmaster for the sofa.

Can you relate? Whether it's exercise, marriage or parenting, life's challenges can make us downright weary. In the short term, the payoff for persevering can seem elusive. Satan works overtime to distract us and take our eyes off the One who provides the strength to endure.

Galatians 6:9 reminds us to take a long-term view of our momentary struggles: "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."

Hmmm ... now where did I put those running shoes?