I hit a mailbox Saturday. It really hurt too. I wasn't in a car - I was out jogging. Once you stop laughing, read on to see why. . . .
Here's how it happened. Earlier in the week I discovered when jogging up hill, it helps to not look at the top of the hill. When you focus on the top, it feels like you never get there. It seemed to be more tiring, more discouraging. So, one morning I decided to keep my eyes on the road just ahead of my feet. After conquering the hills with ease this way, I decided this would become standard operation for me, especially as I look ahead to running a half-marathon through the hilly parts of Raleigh this November.
So, Saturday afternoon, I'm out jogging. I didn't really stretch well before heading out. I was already a little tired and hungry before leaving. I'm not sure I'm up for this last hill. But I have my new trusty method to get me over the hump, literally. I've got my head down and I'm powering up the hill. That's when it hit me, or more appropriately, I hit it. I ran right into a mailbox. Apparently, this particular mailbox was a lot closer to the road than all the others because its edge hung over the white line. I made it home with a minor abrasion on my left arm.
Now I'm rethinking this whole strategy. Or I'm at least modifying it some. And you know me, I began to have a few thoughts about how this might be applied to my faith journey. I can think of some leadership applications like balancing the long term and short term perspective. I know somewhere there has to be a faith journey application. I think part of it is you have to look where you are going, or something's going to hit you and try to derail your journey.
I began to think some more and wondered to my self if it was possible to have a long term perspective on my faith journey. Besides heaven, what would that even be? What are the hills and crests we need to be mindful of? What is the short and long term balance of our faith journeys? When do I focus on my feet and when do I focus on the road ahead? What are the unexpecrted obstacles like misplaced mailboxes we need to look out for? What do you think?
When is the right time?
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This past week I had coffee with the pastor of the church we're now
attending. I talked for about an hour straight, telling my story. All the
while he prov...
15 years ago
1 comment:
What do I think? I think that if you'd gone out running on Saturday, missed every obstacle and came back home, you'd have had nothing to share. While I'm not happy you got banged up, I am happy that you had this experience. The fact is, that's what journeys (faith or otherwise) are all about. Life happens.
At times, I think I'd like a trouble-free, worry-free, mailbox-free, laid-back life but then what do I do? I infuse my free time with reality shows, vacation excursions, action hero movies and video games. Why? Because something inside me wants drama and excitement. Is that bad? I'm not real sure. But what I do know is that it's life...mine and a lot of other people's.
So how does this relate to your question? Well, I think one philosophy may lead us to focus on obstacles...where they may be and when to look for them, as your last paragraph alluded to. Another philosophy (and arguably a more productive one) may lead us to focus on how to handle the obstacles. That's really what we all wanna understand, right? That's what heroes and leaders are all about. That's why we watch 24, Dancing With The Stars and Spiderman 3 (opening May 5th at a theatre near you), right? We know there's gonna be an obstacle...but that's not why we watch. We watch because we can't wait to see how Jack Bauer and Peter Parker overcome the insurmountable obstructions that face them (and we wanna watch Julianne Hough dance.)
This is also an important part of our faith journeys. The world is watching...they wanna watch us. Those who are exploring or who doubt what we believe wanna see us face obstacles just like they wanna see Jack Bauer face them. But they watch us in a different way. If we are too careful in life and work hard to avoid all the obstacles, we give the unbelievers nothing to grasp...they change the channel. But when we take life in stride and face obstacles just like everyone else, we gain their attention...not because we want it but because they want to watch. It's what we DO, how we ACT and where we TURN when the pressure's on that will make the difference. If we give up, give in or give out, they lose interest. If we give it to God and give it our all, they'll tune in for another episode.
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