Lots of Success
In addition to being a personal trainer for celebrities, he has been a star on the NBC American television series The Biggest Loser since 2004, alongside former co-star trainer Jillian Michaels, a role that has drawn 6 to 8 million viewers. He has appeared in NBC’s DVD workouts and has produced his own DVD workout series.
Harper made the cover of Men’s Fitness Magazine and has been featured in numerous other magazines, including O Magazine, People Magazine, and Entertainment Weekly. And when Larry King had his CNN show, Larry King Live, Harper made it there, too. His appearances have also included ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show’, ‘The Doctors’, and ‘The Dr. Oz Show’.
When his show partner, Jillian Michaels, left The Biggest Loser, some wondered about the show’s continued popularity and whether its ratings would remain high. There was a dip in the ratings, but Harper seemed unfazed. He said: “I’m doing what I was put on this earth to do — all the rest of that stuff, I don’t care,” he said. “At the end of the day, I’m a trainer. That’s what I was doing before the show, that’s what I do during the show, and that’s what I will do after the show.” (1)
Recently, Bob Harper was interviewed by his former Biggest Loser partner, Jillian Michaels, on her own show. It’s a very positive and upbeat interview. She was looking for candour. She gave him open-ended statements to finish, such as “I’m most proud of …” and “The hardest thing for me to overcome …”
A Search for Inner Peace
However, four minutes into the interview, (2) Michaels asks Harper what he would change if he could change just one thing in the world. His response: “It would be to find peace.” He then went on to talk about the pursuit of personal peace. He mentioned John Lennon’s quest for peace. He speculated that if a person could find peace in their life, how much better it would be for everyone around them, and presumably for the person who found peace.
At the end of the interview, he told Jillian Michaels that he is someone “who is just trying to find a little bit of balance in this unbalanced world.”
If you were to be asked similar questions, how would you respond? You may have accomplished and acquired many things in life – but have you secured inner peace yet? Bob Harper and so many others are realizing many successes in life, but when their day is over, and the lights are out, they seem to have an inner longing for peace. Success, they have. Peace they have yet to find. Does that describe your current state?
Search for Balance in Life
Mr. Harper also said he was “trying to find a little bit of balance in this unbalanced world.” People experience a deep imbalance when they are out of sync with their Creator. How can there be balance in a broken world when the primary relationship between the individual and God is broken? A broken relationship in a home creates an unhealthy and unbalanced atmosphere. Spiritually, it is no different, except that a broken relationship with God is infinitely more serious and has eternal ramifications.
We can fill our lives with fortune, fame, pleasure, and accomplishment, but as long as our relationship with God remains broken, there will always be a void—an inner longing for the peace only He can provide.
Out-of-Alignment Car and Person
A mechanic discusses the need to align your vehicle. The symptoms are: a pulling to one side, slight shaking when the vehicle accelerates, steering wheel vibration, and uneven tire wear. A car that needs an alignment does not provide a smooth ride. Spiritually speaking, because of sin, our own performance is sub-standard, and we fail God’s road test.
What we ultimately need is a spiritual alignment with God.
To those who are experiencing weariness, an imbalance in life, a pulling in a wrong direction, a sad wearing down and despairing wearing out due to the presence of sin and the absence of inner peace, Jesus said these beautiful and inviting words:
“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden,
and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:28
You must come to the Lord Jesus for the spiritual alignment your life requires. When He said, “I will give you rest,” He didn’t mean a ‘rest’ that comes from no activity but rather the rest that comes from a life of satisfaction and peace, when all facets of one’s life are aligned with the very purposes of God. That life is available to you this very day – through Jesus Christ alone!
If you would like to receive in your mailbox material based on the Bible to help you find peace, click here.
Sources:
1. http://articles.latimes.com/2012/jan/03/entertainment/la-et-bob-harper-biggest-loser-20120103
2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-amwmPLjM74&feature=fvwrel
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Harper_%28personal_trainer%29
There was a “You Might Like” article about Bob Harper, the fitness guru, and I find it odd that it would be on this page since he is a homosexual – totally against what the Bible teaches.
Thank you for your comment. If you read the article, Bob Harper clearly states he is looking for personal peace. That is the point of the story. No matter who a person is or what their circumstances are in life, there is a yearning in every human heart for real peace and that is only possible when one comes as a sinner to Jesus and by faith embraces Him as Saviour. Romans 5:1 says: Therefore being justified by faith we have PEACE WITH GOD through the Lord Jesus Christ. That is God’s desire for everyone – including me (Peter) you (Joyce) and Bob Harper. No one is better positioned than another to qualify for God’s amazing grace. I think you agree with that.