Saturday, August 20, 2011

Stair Master (Catherine Tinkler)

This is the third installment on running by fellow WCS teacher and coach, Catherine Tinkler!

Now in the second week of cross country practices, Coach Wagner introduced a new exercise to strengthen the fine muscles in our legs.  The drill is to stand in the grass and raise one foot for thirty seconds and balance on the other leg.  I’d like to think I have pretty good balance and that my leg muscles aren’t too out of shape.  However, the pain this drill has inflicted on my legs has been excruciating.  By mid-morning of that very day I was having trouble even climbing the stairs to my classroom.  By lunch I was moving very slowing and by the end of the day I actually hopped on the elevator to forgo any more discomfort.  My legs prior to the morning were not in as good a condition as I had originally thought.  The push to improve their strength was actually causing such distress that I questioned what I had done and if I should continue my quest to improve.

There’s a correlation I now see to my spiritual walk.  I think I’m fine in my Bible reading, in my prayer life, in my practicing of the fruits of the Spirit, or whatever other facet of my walk with God I could choose to focus on.  As long as I continually practice those aspects there is no opportunity for the muscles to weaken.  It’s when I start to think that I’m fine, I’m in great shape, and that I don’t need to exercise my Christian walk that I lose ground.  What it takes to resume those practices is so much harder than if I never would have stopped or slacked off in the first place.  There is no elevator to hop on when I realize where I am spiritually.  It takes gutting it out and climbing up each and every step until I get to where I want to be.  It’s also when I realize that I’m on the stairs with the stair Master and He is taking every step with me that I know that it’s not too tough, it’s worth trying.  
Catherine Tinkler


God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1

http://www.hawleybooks.com/
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com

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