MisconSTEPtion

Today is DAY nine since my 32 day mission to Can Tho, Vietnam came to a conclusion. It takes me ten days to recover from jet lag so I'm almost there! I go through sleeplessness and disorientation upon awakening. I'm nearly back in my sleep pattern which isn't all that great as I'm a terrible sleeper! The day after my return home, I returned to my workout routine which is alternating days of lifting and incline treadmill. The lifting has been a breeze- I think I'm stronger than when I left but that's probably just because my body needed a break. The treadmill has been rough. I'm only back to where I was in January although I'm increasing each day. My goal each day is not minutes as much as calories burned on the treadmill's meter. I was over 1400 burned calories a day before I left and did 1000 for the first time yesterday. Hopefully, I'll get back to where I was before too long!

I've written before about receiving a FITBIT from my brother, Scott, and sister-in-law, Karen, for Christmas this past year. I've worn it every day since. The one thing I miss the most on these missions is the ability to work out; no time, no equipment, no facility. The good thing was that now with the FITBIT, I'd be able to keep track of all the extra steps I take in Can Tho and that would count for something. But that isn't what happened. Guess what I found? I discovered I don't take more steps on this adventure, I take fewer. Far fewer. Over the course of a week, I average over 11,000 steps per day when I'm in the US and I don't wear it working out so those steps aren't padding the total. Over the time I was in Asia, I averaged less than half that number. I only remember going over 8,000 once. I was shocked, sure I walked much more there than I do here. Upon reflection, I hypothesize that my jobs/responsibilities here keep me on the move all the time, especially during basketball practices. My Vietnam life is more sedentary than I realized. I've got some re-evaluating to do before next July/August!

As I've considered the situation with my steps, I've begin to wonder if I'm off the mark in other areas of my life. Am I as honest as I think I am? Or caring? Or giving? Or loving? It's much harder to quantify those qualities. They don't have a FITBIT for righteousness. We can fool others and maybe even fool ourselves at times without even trying to. Habits become routines which turn into ruts and we no longer take the long hard looks in the mirror but go through life on auto pilot. A FITBIT counts steps but not their intent or impact. Walking around in circles may accumulate numbers but you get nowhere. Following the steps of Jesus...... that's the ticket. Might even be a hymn in there somewhere!

Applicable quote of the day:
"One may walk over the highest mountain one step at a time."
John Wanamaker

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com