Monday, April 11, 2016

Begin. Again.


My shoes at the end of last week's first 'real' run as part of training for this year's triathlon.

The first week is always the toughest.

It's almost as if you haven't already run all the races you've run, like you've haven't logged the miles you've logged, like you have no experience at all.

It's this same way every time you begin again, doing whatever.

Start a new job. Start a new relationship. Tackle a new assignment. Cook that favourite recipe you haven't touched in years. Open your Bible. Go for a run.

Begin. Again.

It's tough. Halfway through starting up that new thing you'll be wondering if you can finish, wondering how you ever did this before, questioning whether or not you've got what it takes, wondering why you started up again in the first place.

Waiting for your left ankle to go numb so your achilles will stop hurting.

"Why did I do this?"

Ever felt that way?

It's amazing to me (being as old as I now am, and having done as much as I've now done) to realize how relentless life is. See, it doesn't CARE what you DID. It cares about what you're DOING. Your body doesn't give you credit for the miles you ran last year, it wants to know what you've done for it lately.

True, muscles have 'memory' and you will get up to race-shape much faster than the first time you started doing this, but it's still gonna be hard, you're still gonna' wish for death several times along the way and wonder why you thought you were fit for this anyway?

What have you done lately?

How good was your last sermon? Did you hit it out of the park? How good was your last pitch meeting? Did you change your client's life (even just a little bit?). What about last shoot? Did you nail it in every aspect? Did the client leave feeling well-served and lucky to have you? How about your last staff confrontation. Did you handle it with grace AND truth? Did your last disappointment or betrayal destroy you and steal your joy, or did you shoulder it, mourn, and then keep going?

When was the last time you ran 5K? The last time you read your Bible every day for a week? When was the last time you ate fresh-cooked Oatmeal instead of the packaged kind? When did you last complete your wife's 'honey-do list' on the weekend without complaining? When was the last time you were happy and fun with your kids at breakfast instead of grumpy and tuned-out? When was the last time your friends felt like you loved them? Did you chase your wife around the house this weekend? Last weekend? When was the last time 'bro? When was the last time you took responsibility for your actions without begging off, by subtly shifting the blame to someone else? When was the last time you were completely honest, regardless of what it was going to cost you? When was the last time you walked by faith and not by sight?

What have you DONE, that's awesome, lately?

Yes. I read Hebrews 11 this morning. And it messed with me.

T

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