This is our third installment from WCS coach and teacher, Nathan Wagner, who always hits a home rub with his thoughts! Pray for me- Lord willing, I will be back in Houston in three days...and back in school in four days!
This spring, WCS philosopher Russel Carr taught our adult
Bible class on spiritual disciplines. Coach Carr shared great insights and
examples of the difficulties, promises, and blessings that come with living a
spritually-disciplined life. Like Coach Carr, Paul wrote about the same things
and made lots of references and comparisons to athletes in training. In 1
Corinthians 9:24, Paul wrote, "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.that we
should run the race as though we are training for a prize."
People often
make comparisons of running a marathon to the Christian walk. Paul puts a
slightly different twist on it. He says we are not just training for a race, we
are training to win a race. I'm certainly not an elite athlete by any
definition, but it is certainly true that training for a race is much different
than trying to win one. A little over a month ago, I signed up to run the
Houston Marathon. My goal is to run the race fast enough to qualify for the
Boston Marathon. That goal changes the way I do a lot of things--what I eat
matters (and what I don't eat), how much I sleep, how much I run, and how I run
those miles. I have to be dedicated to the goal, I have to be focused on the
goal, and I have to be committed to the goal. While it's hard to do that day in
and day out--and I'll find out in January if it paid off--I find it much easier
to do in my running life than in my spiritual life. My running is physical,
with results I see quickly and exertion I feel.
My spiritual life can be
more challenging. Heat dictates when I run; prayer is easy to put off. My race
times are public. My spiritual life is private. Purchasing good shoes is
motivating for the cost; reading my Bible costs me nothing. Food makes me feel
a certain way--good or bad. Music, television, and movies can be more
insidious, taking longer to compile their negative effects.
So in my
journey to qualify for the Boston Marathon, I've also decided to committ
myself to my spiritual training as well. Hopefully by making both goals public,
I will have many support me through accountability. My hope is that I always
run the real race in such a way as to win a prize.
God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
www.hawleybooks.com
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment