"Be joyful always."1 Thessalonians 5:16 (NIV)

As I reached the top step, I was huffing and puffing like the Big Bad Wolf after the Three Little Pigs. It wasn't a pretty scene, and I knew something had to be done about it.

There were about twenty or thirty steps leading up to our third-floor apartment, and I was winded each and every time I had walked up there. "I'm still a young man," I thought to myself as the sweat beaded on my forehead. "This shouldn't be happening."

Right then and there, I decided to eat right and exercise. No turning back. After analyzing all the fitness options available, I decided that jogging would be the way to go if I wanted to have more energy. That was five months ago, and I'm still plugging away on the old treadmill.

Good as it is, though, jogging still has its share of detractors. Take my father-in-law, for example. He's seen a jogger or two in his time, and he wants no part of it. "They always look so miserable," he says, wrinkling his nose and forehead. "Why would I want to do that?"

I think all of us can apply the 'grumpy jogger' test to our spiritual lives. In other words, do those around you see you as a joyful person? When you interact with spiritual seekers, do they see something attractive in you? Or do they see someone who isn't exactly modeling the Fruit of the Spirit?

These are tough questions we all need to ask ourselves from time to time. They're important questions because they will help us see whether we're spreading the aroma of Christ in our world—or something a lot less attractive.

— Matt Donnelly, for the ChristianityToday.com staff

Sign up for the Connection Newsletter and receive a new article plus a whole lot more in your inbox every week!

Read more from 'Open Line'