Stay the Course

I went for a long run yesterday. The longest distance I have ever attempted.

The first part of the course I had marked off for this eleven mile run took me two-and-a-half miles south of my house, a half mile east, then north for four miles before I needed to turn left to run west on the Lake Road, the part of the course that would take me into the longest run I have ever completed. A portion of this four-mile segment took me through the east side of the town where I live.

At about the five mile mark the anxiety I had all week anticipating this long run overtook me. I began to break down mentally and emotionally as doubts about whether or not I could do eleven miles seemed to overtake me. I found myself engaged in this self-talk:
- Eleven miles. I’ll never be able to do eleven miles. Am I crazy for doing this? What am I even doing this for? I don’t have anything to prove to anyone. This is a goal from my twenties. I’m not twenty anymore. The time it takes, the effort it takes. Why do I continue to put myself through this?
- I could turn left at the Shell station once I get into town and head home that way for what would end up being a 7.3 mile run.
- No, I can run seven miles easily. I’ve done that many times before. Keep going past the Shell station and turn at 3rd Street, run to Maple then head home. That would be eight miles.
- No…I can do eight miles. Eight miles isn’t going to move me forward in my training.
I shook myself out of this self-doubting revelry with this:
- You can do this. You need to keep going. The marathon is 26.2 miles and you won’t be able to finish it if you don’t keep to the training schedule.
- Remember, “a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” I’ve definitely taken more than one step since I started training. I remember when I couldn’t run one mile and now I’m on an eleven mile run.
- But it’s safe to run the eight mile course today…
- NO! Stay the course, Tina, and you can do eleven miles. Just stay the course and keep putting one foot in front of the other.

“Stay the course” captured my attention. I immediately realized that if I was going to run eleven miles I had to stay on the eleven mile circuit I had marked off. If I turned left at the Shell station I would not stay on the course. If I turned left at 3rd Street I would not stay on the course. If I was going to accomplish my goal I needed to stay on the eleven mile course and continue to put one foot in front of the other and turn left only when I got to the Lake Road.

What course are you on? Is it the course of a worthwhile goal like…
- Losing weight and lowering your cholesterol?
- Improving your relationship with a spouse, child, family member, or friend?
- Going back to school to finish that degree or earn one?
- Buying a house?
- Paying off your debt?
- Surviving a grief or recovery process?
- Overcoming addiction?

Are you at a mile marker where doubt, fatigue, or fear are beginning to overwhelm you and you want to turn left before you’re supposed to? If so, resist it! Whatever it is…resist it. Keep putting one foot in front of the other and stay the course.

I believe you can do it!

Cross-training

I wrote in my last entry that I am training for a marathon. I have been running diligently now for a year. I admit to taking four months off to recover from a car accident but other than this temporary hiatus from training, I have been running diligently since June of 2007. I have been a recreational runner for a long time so I have above average length strength. I knew that as I trained and ran more and more miles, my legs would get stronger and have greater endurance. What I didn’t know was that I need more than leg strength to run a marathon. I need upper body strength, too.

I discovered my need for increased upper body strength when various body parts starting hurting; my low back, hips, upper back, and neck. As I talked with a friend who is preparing to be a certified trainer, we discussed my need to strengthen my upper body. As I increased my mileage, my weak upper body could not hold itself up. As a result, I started leaning forward with my shoulders then I would lean forward at my hips. This breakdown in my running form created all the upper body aches and pains. The solution from my fitness trainer friend? Cross-training. I need to strengthen my upper body so I can run stronger and more efficiently.

I purchased a fitness program on DVD and have been doing the strengthening routines on my non-running days. Needless to say I am sore. I still have aches but they are of a different kind. These aches are the result of working muscle groups that haven’t been worked in a long time (if ever!). I don’t necessarily like this strengthening program (I much prefer to run) but I know that in order to finish a marathon, I need to train and strengthen my entire body, not just my legs.

I think our spiritual life is like training for a marathon. We can’t just do one thing and expect to be fully developed even for the task or activity we are doing all the time. We can’t just grow in one area and not others. For example, are you faithful and consistent to give your money and live by Biblical principles of giving but you do not give yourself and your time to others? Do you attend church every time the doors are open but do not volunteer in any area of service or ministry offering your gifts and talents to the church? Do you read your Bible regularly but pray only when things are difficult?

As a believer, I think it’s relatively easy to be strong and growing in one area while neglecting other areas of Christian living. The solution? Cross-train. If you have some aches and pains in certain areas of life, maybe you’re not as spiritually developed in those areas as you could be. Ask God to show you how to cross-train in these areas so that you can become a mature Christian possessing all the strength and endurance you need to run the race God has prepared for you.

A Rock in My Shoe

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.” I Corinthians 9:25

“…let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” Hebrews 12:1
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I went running today. I am training for my first marathon and every workout is helping me move closer to be able accomplish this life-long dream. About a mile and a half into my run, I got a rock in my shoe. I felt it as it slid down into my shoe, worked its way under my instep and positioned itself in that spot where my big toe bends. I felt this rock every time my left foot struck the ground. This rock in my shoe and the resulting discomfort that was rapidly turning into pain reminded me of another rock in my shoe on a run years ago. I felt that rock, too, but kept running despite the pain it created for me. With every footfall I thought, “I should stop and get this rock out of my shoe.” But I didn’t. I was too busy running to stop and take care of this problem. Besides, I wanted to be tough and keep going. When I got home and took off my shoe I discovered blood on my sock. I knew the rock caused me pain but I didn’t realize that it had caused damage to my foot as well. The injury from that rock kept me from running for a week as my foot healed. As I remembered the rock in my shoe from years ago and the damage it caused, I decided that I would take the time to stop and remove the rock from my shoe. I did not want to create a problem that would interfere with my marathon training and keep me from running a race.

It was inconvenient taking that rock out of my shoe and I was very self-conscious. I was standing on the side of a country road with traffic going by in both directions. I was sweaty and breathing hard and having a hard time balancing on one foot as I tried to locate the rock in my shoe and remove it. It was a little thing. It took me several attempts to grab a hold of that very small rock (which happen to feel like a boulder) and remove it from my shoe. I remembered the rock from years ago being a small one, too. It’s amazing how something so small can cause such pain and discomfort.

I put my rock-free shoe back on, laced it up, and started running again. As I ran, I couldn’t help but think of spiritual rocks that I allowed in times past to lodge in various places in my soul. I was busy studying the Word and going to church, serving in children’s ministries, teaching adult Sunday School, and even preaching and doing women’s conferences here and there. I was doing everything I knew how to do to try and please God and serve Him and love Him. Yet, I did all those things with little rocks I had accumulated here and there because I was too busy with all these other seemingly spiritual activities. However, despite my good works, rocks of impatience and legalism, pride, frustration and anger, despair and discouragement began to cause me pain and hinder me in my relationship with God.

When God began to open my eyes to these rocks in my soul, I confessed my sins regarding these attitudes to the Lord and He graciously forgave me. As a result, I willingly submit to the refiner’s fire praying that God will cleanse me and purify me from all the spiritual rocks I have accumulated along the way. I also pray to keep from picking up more rocks along the way. I do not want anything that will keep me from effectively running the race God has for me.

What about you? Do you have a rock in your shoe? What about your soul? If so, take the time to stop and get it taken care of regardless of how inconvenient it might seem. Ask God to show you what you need to do remove the hindrance that keeps you from running the race He has prepared for you. It is true in a natural race that only one person receives the prize for finishing first. However, in our spiritual race , God has a prize waiting for each of us when we finish the race of faith. The Apostle Paul wrote about the crown of righteousness God has prepared for each person who has placed their faith and trust in Him. “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing” (I Timothy 4:7-8).

Father God, give me the courage to stop and deal with the rocks in my soul. Teach me how to throw off and remove everything that keeps me from effectively and obediently running the race You have for me. Help me to live with hope regarding the crown of righteousness You have waiting for me Amen.

Influencing Others

I read this quote today: "Just one person taking action can inspire others to do the same."

This quote reveals a principle I have seen in my own life recently. Since I have been running and training for a marathon, two other people I know have made the decision to run the Chicago Marathon. Several other people in my office have acquired an interest in running and all of us have participated in a 5K race (3.2 miles) and two of us a 5 mile race. I made the choice to run a marathon and took action. As a result, other people have chosen to take an interest in running and do the same thing. Another example is my blogsite. I started my blogsite in March and told a couple of people about it. One of my friends started her blogsite not too long after I started mine.

While this is fine, what I truly want is for people to see the actions I take because of my faith and be inspired to do the same. All I can do is live my life for God and let Him use my obedience to affect and influence others.

A negative example of influence is someone I know who left his family for another woman and her children. Several months after this man did what he did, his friend and business partner did the same thing; he left his wife and kids and moved in with the other woman while he is still married and the other woman is still married. One man took immoral action and another followed. As a result, four families have been broken apart as two married men and two married women decided they wanted spouses that didn’t belong to them. They wanted and they took action and went after something that didn’t belong to them. Their behavior has created a damage path a mile wide in the lives of seven children and the four spouses who have been left behind.

As I think about influencing others, I am reminded of many years ago when the Lord told me to be careful because I never know who I am influencing by my actions…influencing for the good or for the bad. I pray that I NEVER influence someone to sin by my behavior. I pray to always and only influence others in a positive way, whether it’s taking up running to improve physical fitness or inspiring someone to imitate some of my spiritual disciplines.

Prayer: Father God, keep me from willful sin and help me to NEVER NEVER NEVER set a sinful example for someone to follow. Give me the courage to trust and obey You in all things so that others will see the good deeds I do and praise You. Amen.

Progress...Not Perfection

A few months ago friend of mine gave me a quote she has posted in front of her computer at work. The phrase is “Progress…not perfection.”

My friend knows me well and with this one phrase she was trying to tell me that God does not expect me to be perfect…He doesn’t even expect me to be close to perfect. However, He expects me to grow.

God knows we are not perfect. God knows we are human. After all, He created us to be human and He is well aware of our frailties, our weaknesses, and our bent toward selfishness. These things come as no surprise to God.

We must accept the fact that we are human and give ourselves permission to be human. We will never achieve perfection this side of Heaven so it would be beneficial to our spiritual, mental, and emotional well-being to accept the fact that we are not perfect. In accepting the fact that we are not perfect, we take the pressure off ourselves to be something we cannot be. As a result, we can stop pretending to be someone we are not and we can be real with ourselves and with each other.

For a perfectionistic person like myself, this phrase “Progress…not perfection” provided a brief moment of fresh air. After that brief moment, my perfectionistic mindset automatically kicked in and I started focusing on my progress. Is my progress what it’s supposed to be? Am I behind where God wants me to be? I know I’m not where I want to be but I don’t know how to get there…how do I get there? As I resisted these thoughts and considered my personal growth, I realized that God is the One Who makes me grow. I cannot change me. Only God can change me and lead me down the path of progress. There is an effort of my self-will that I could apply that might change me to a certain degree, but God is the only One Who can truly change me and cause me to grow the way He wants me to grow and to become the woman He wants me to be.

How does this happen? How do we grow? We grow and make progress when we trust and obey. We trust God and believe what He has revealed about Himself and about human life in the Bible. We obey God when we read about something in the Bible that we are to do and then we do it. As we trust and obey we grow. As we grow we make progress. I have heard someone say “I’m not where I want to be but I not where I used to be, either.” I’m learning that life is all about progress…not perfection.

Thirteen Mistakes I Have Made...and Still Make Sometimes

1. Being complacent when I should have been proactive.
2. Letting someone else's lifestyle choice affect my choices.
3. Taking for granted that a promise made will be a promise kept.
4. Not getting professional help for issues I needed help with sooner than what I did.
5. Believing that I can change other people’s behaviors and attitudes.
6. Isolating myself from other people when I hurt.
7. When asked, “What’s wrong?” I say “Nothing.”
8. Being unaware of the emotional needs of other people.
9. Ignoring my emotional needs.
10. Treating people the way I want to be treated based on my personality instead of treating people based on the needs of their personality.
11. Believing that I could not lose weight.
12. Believing that failure is a person, not an event.
13. Believing that I am not worth loving.

You Can't Live Life in Bed!

I am a thinker personality type and it is not uncommon for me to wake up in the morning and lay in bed thinking about the day, even the week ahead of me. I imagine the things that need to happen and what might go wrong if I try to accomplish this or that. I naturally slip into thinking about the consequences and next steps after completing the things I have thought about. And what if I fail or can’t do it? I then think about backup plans A, B, C, and all the way through ZZ should my original plan not produce the desired results!! On a recent morning while still in bed I was in this thinking mode and I felt the Lord tell me that I “can’t live life in bed.” It was time to get up and get to it.

Do you live your life in bed? Maybe you live your life in a chair or on the couch. You get up, go to work, come home, and sit in the chair and watch TV until it’s time to go to bed and then you do it all over again the next day. While you are laying in bed, sitting in the chair or on the couch, do you think about the life you want? Do you think about having a more consistent relationship with God? A more satisfying marriage? A better relationship with your children? A more satisfying job? A physically fit body? A general attitude of being able to enjoy life? All of these desires are good ones but to have what you are thinking about you have to get out of bed, out of that chair, or off that couch and you have to do something about it. Wanting it will not be enough. You have to get up and get to it.

If you do not get up and actually live life, you place yourself in a vulnerable position of distraction. Thoughts simmer about what you want but an interesting dynamic happens when you do not actively pursue positive things…you tend to think about what is wrong with the things in your life that you would like to change. As you continue to brood on what is wrong, you can fall prey to all kinds of deception from Satan.

What kinds of deception can we fall prey to when we are not applying effort towards desires that are God approved? Subtle traps like the mindset that nothing will change, addiction to mindless TV, busyness, or shopping . Horrible traps such as an adulterous affair, the use of or addiction to alcohol, drugs, or pornography. Whether subtle or blatantly horrible, private or public, the traps are designed to keep us from fulfilling God’s plan for our lives. When we do not live life the way God has designed we open ourselves to all manner of evil regardless of how subtle or horrible.

Do not live life from an inactive state and run the risk of falling prey to those things that can make your life ineffective. Do not allow Satan to distract and blind you from what God wants to do through someone who is willing to live life by His design. Get up and live life with the purpose for which you have been created, to love God and keep His commands. Then let Him lead you and guide you in what you must do to experience a deeper relationship with God and experience joy and peace and whatever you work towards. Nothing will happen if you lay around or sit around. If you do nothing, you have nothing, and you get nothing.

Don’t live life from bed. Get up and get to it!

Scriptures
Ecclesiastes 12:13: “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commands, for this is the whole duty of man.”

John 10:10: “I [Jesus] have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the plans I have for,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.”