training.

It's January.  So life is full of "being healthy" thoughts.  At least it is for me.  Unfortunately, I do much better thinking those thoughts than making progress at changing my life with those thoughts.

Again, no big surprise, some things I know about myself ...
1. I have no self-discipline.  Well, maybe a day's worth, but not so much more than that.
2. I am a good starter and a poor finisher.
3. I tend to overwehelm myself by wanting to make too many changes at once.
4. I am so much more self-disciplined in other areas when I am that way in one.
5. I waste a lot more time than I would like to admit (thus, the just don't have time for that excuse doesn't really work!)
6. I am not good at exteme measures ... thus, my short-lived success with the Daniel fast and other such endeavors
7. I need a goal and accountability!
8. I am a joiner ... I see others with great ideas - like training for a big race or running a race a month for a year (how fun is that??) ... well, you get the idea!

Case in point: This week, I gave up Diet Coke, cold turkey ... and it was the longest 14 hours of my life!  :-)  Yeh, I said 14 hours.  I gave up sugar for 4 days.  Yeh ... that exteme thing ... I stink at it.

Bottom line is I want to be healthy ... physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually.  But I want that NOW.  I don't really want to put the time in to train in those areas day in and day out for a long time to meet that goal.  I want a quick fix or at least fast results to propel me onward!  I wanna lace up my shoes and go out and run a 10K ... instead of working up to it, day after day, bad run after bad run, good run after good run!

This morning at church, Spencer was speaking on his own journey to get physically fit.  And comparing it to our spiritual lives as well.  I've done that ... met my WW goal, ran my first marathon, felt good about myself and about life and slowly, but surely, lost that ground I had gained.  I am ready to regain it ... not just talk about it, but reclaim it!

I have loved sinking more time into the Word these last few weeks, digging into James and really giving it some time each morning.  I feel like I am training myself spiritually in this dedicated time at the start of each day.  Maybe that will give me the discipline to let that spill over into other areas of my life as well.

Paul tells us ...
Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win!  All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing.  I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.  (I Corinthians 9:24-27 NLT)

One thing that stuck out to me this morning was this: Paul tells us that only one person gets the prize, SO RUN TO WIN!! 

I think I've chosen to run a lot.  But rarely do I set out to run to win.  I make excuses ... well, I don't have a runner's body, so I'm never gonna be fast.  I don't know as much as other people, so I'll never excel in this area.  I will never be skinny ... not at my age ...  so I might run, but I don't do it with the excellence, determination, and commitment to do it WELL!  I admire people who do ... I marvel at people who do and I never think it could be me.

Today, I'm going to start running, with excellence.  I'm gonna start running to WIN.  I am setting some goals and going for them.  I've even got some new running shoes ready to hit the pavement.