It Matters Who You Run With

I run with a great group of ladies, (and a couple of gents).  They are all encouraging to one another and just really pleasant to be around. 
But some of them are faster than others.  And some of them are slower than others.  I usually ran with some of the slower runners because I enjoyed their company.  I honestly believed that was as fast as I could go.  After all I am a beginning marathon runner.
 One day, that all changed.  Our trainer slowed down to run with me and began to urge me on.  She told me my breathing was "mental".  I think that is a good thing...but she she told me to try speeding up some, and that I have more power than I think.
Well, she is wiser than I am and has more experience.  Only a fool won't heed sound advice.  So although it didn't seem like it, I considered what she said, and sped up a bit.  I found myself running alone.  I wasn't quite as fast as the fast runners and was a bit faster than the slow runners.  So I ran alone.
Then something happened...I discovered my own pace.  I began to speed up, and walk less.  This went on for a few runs and then "Molly" happened. (Her name has been changed to protect her identity ;-)
She is the one in the group that always finishes first.  One day, let's call it "M-day", I thought, maybe I will run with her for just a little while.  We ran and ran, and I found that the only limitation was in my head.  I found that running with her, I pushed myself like never before.  I discovered new dimensions of my abilities.
While every runner runs, not every runner is someone I should run with if I want to push myself to the limits.

"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. " 1 Cor 9:24 NIV

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Humility

"By humilty and the fear of the Lord are riches, honor and life." Prov 22:4


I've found that on this quest to finish strong, there are many obstacles.  None of them are uglier or stinkier than pride.   Pride is not when we think we are intelligent or capable.  It is when we think more highly of ourselves than we should (Ro 12:3). We can not believe we have all the answers or know it all, yet we don't have the results working in our lives. 

The proof really is in the pudding. 

Or as I like to say, you can't argue with fruit.  A good tree cannot bear bad fruit and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.  After looking around my life, I found some "get started and not finish fruit", some inconsistent fruit and some lack of preparation fruit.  It was quite painful, but pruning always is.  But the thing about pruning is that it helps you grow, and you can't grow without humility. 

Quitting

This morning, at 5:30 when the alarm clock rang out in the dark of early morning, all I could think about was quitting.  But I didn't think "I quit!". I just thought, "Oh, I'll just sleep in today and pick back  up on Monday. No one will even know." Then I thought, "I'll know. So let me just hit snooze and then I'll go...maybe."

Right about that time, I dozed off. And in my dream, walked in a friend of mine who is on the same journey I am to overcoming obstacles. One Mom's Journey to a More Disciplined Life  She agreed to hold me accountable and it worked!! Even in my sleep and probably her sleep too. The thought of her checking in on me this week and me having to tell her, I dropped out of my training class, seemed unbearable. Mostly because it would have involved an excuse, and these days I treat excuses like contraband. 

The thing about quitting is that is doesn't seem like quitting at the time.  It seems like getting rest, taking a break, or waiting for a better time to do something,  There are all kinds of tricks our minds play on us, if we let it.
Be alert and stand guard against excuses and quitting.  Winners aren't always fast or strong, but they are those who do not draw back.

"Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him" 

Heb 10:38

 

Reaching Your Goals

(Quoting from an excellent book by E.W. Kenyon-Sign Posts on the Road to Success)

"Put your whole self into life...drive yourself."

"Don't float. Don't wait for an opportunity. Go make your opportunity."

"Success is yours. Come and get it!"


Setting goals is not the same as actually accomplishing them.  And accomplishing them is going to require intense effort, focus and endurance.

Paul puts it this way in a letter to the Philipians "...I run to win...I can't consider myself a winner yet. This is what I do: I don't look back, I lengthen my stride and I run straight toward the goal to win the prize that God's heavenly call offers in Christ Jesus." (God's Word trans)

We can't walk around thinking we've arrived or we've achieved our highest level of success. "God has ultimate, massive success for you!" ~Sarah Bowling

And we can not assume that we know it all or have done it all.  David Yonggi Cho said "The Holy Spirit doesn't speak to smart people."  The first step in reaching your goals is realizing that you just aren't there yet and that you have a lot to learn.

The next step is research. Find out what you don't know. Take classes if you need to. Study God's word to find promises and get direction, seek Him in prayer.

Surround yourself with people going in the same direction, doing the same things.  But save room for those who are already where you would like to be.

Fill your eyes and ears with what inspires you to improve and grow.

Cultivate thanksgiving and praise in your life~avoid complaining at all cost!!

Then just get started somewhere  Pull out all the stops. Go for it!

Finally, be your own cheerleader! King David encouraged himself in the Lord when failure seemed imminent.  There will be times when no one else will encourage you, believe in you, or support your decision. But do it anyway!