Plank Season
1/16/20
Last Saturday, while getting ready, I heard a phrase I'd never heard before, "Plank Season." Upon hearing that word, two things immediately came to mind. The scripture about removing the plank from your eye and the grueling exercise known as planks. I knew I would have to dig into both further to see what was being shared with me. Websters has multiple definitions for the word plank but I will focus on two. The first is a heavy thick board and the other is an exercise in which a prone person balances on the toes and forearms while holding the rest of the body up and off the ground. I thought it would be good to look at the natural side of planks to possibly get a greater understanding of the spiritual. In reading one article, I saw parallels that will benefit us greatly.
One article stated, "The plank is one of the simplest exercises that you can do – it’s simple in its appearance and the number of steps involved in doing one. Being simple, though, does not mean that doing a plank is easy." Now, after reading that, I thought it would be a good time to pull up the verse.
Matthew 7:3-5 New International Version (NIV)
3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
Hmmmm doesn't this sound like the exercise? Though it can be simple, that doesn't mean that it is easy. To take the plank out of your eye, you must be willing to walk in truth not about others but yourself. You must be willing to see and not ignore your shortcomings. You must also be willing to do the work to get rid of that which obstructs your view of you. This verse also shows how willing we can be to work on others but not ourselves. But we are given instructions that it's not wrong to assist others but make sure you've helped yourself first.
I did some more reading on the exercise and found that a plank is a simple but effective core exercise that helps you build stability and strength throughout your entire body. Your sight is core and essential to functioning. But if we neglect our sight, it impacts our whole body. If our spiritual eyesight is stable and strong, it will impact our spiritual life tremendously.
Also, the plank is a bodyweight exercise. Bodyweight exercises are great for your core, and since they rely on your body weight, they’ll be consistently tailored to your own workout needs. To remove a spiritual plank all you need is you and the Holy Spirit. It is an exercise that can be done alone, and when done correctly, it truly aligns you spiritually.
I then went and looked at some of the benefits of planks:
Planks will improve your posture
Being spiritually free from planks will allow you to see clearly and walk rightly.
Planks improve your flexibility
Removing spiritual planks will free you from that which hinders you to respond quickly and with flexibility to the leading of the Holy Spirit.
Planking will improve your metabolism
When you remove your plank, you have the wisdom, knowledge and patience needed to help someone to remove theirs.
This leads me to believe “Plank Season” is about an inside job. It is allowing the Holy Spirit to reveal to you that which is blinding and hindering areas of your life. It is about recognizing what is obvious to others but ignored or not recognized by you. The funny thing about spiritual planks is I believe they deal more with issues of the heart than blatant sin. I say this because eyes are sensitive, and when they are impacted, it affects everything. I think planks are pride, religion, gossip, hate, jealousy, and envy to name a few. And with they are impeding our sight, it truly limits the fullness of what God desires to do in and through us. The removal can be a tedious and delicate process but it is well worth it. “Plank Season” is in session for many especially leaders. It is time for us to deal with us to truly lead with a heart of love, compassion and purity like Christ.
