Bigger, Faster, Stronger

Seriously, those were the words I woke up to this morning. They popped into my mind from nowhere.  They were the words written on the tshirts of my son when he was in his high school football program. Bigger, Faster, Stronger. Push, train, reach for success was the idea behind the motto. 

I spent this past weekend facilitating a life plan for an amazing Christian woman whose main 

goal in life was to become a mature woman of God and live out her purpose as a leader of a non-profit teen mentoring program and a Life Purpose Coach.  What a privilege to have a front row seat into looking at this woman's struggles and successes!  As I watched her past, present and action steps for the future unfold, I was impressed with her stamina to persevere, and with her clear ideas of small steps to become more consistent and intentional with her waking moments.  

I couldn't help but think of how many mornings, instead of letting God lead me to put words down on paper which is the way I hear Him best, whether it be in blog form or life journal or prayer journal , I forego the privilege and lose my ability to persevere in seeking Him.  I'm loving sitting in His presence, letting Him guide my thoughts this morning.  So, why don't I do that every morning?

We're told clearly in Hebrews 12:1:  Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.  And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.  For the joy set before Him He endured the cross. 

But what of the times when this is more the picture?  What about those mornings where getting out of bed at all takes extreme perseverance?

What about those seasons I wrote of in the last blog?  Isn't it okay to have seasons of productivity and service interspersed with seasons of rest?  As I look back on my last seasons, I had a fall of busy, joyful service and productivity followed by a long winter of not feeling well and just plodding.  This spring I feel energized to write again and plan new projects, and be excited about the prospect of another new client on the horizon instead of wondering if I've got the energy.  

As Hebrews told us, Jesus is the pioneer of our faith, our model.  Yes, he persevered.  We see him in the pages of the Word getting up early to pray and to walk the dusty roads fulfilling His purpose.  But we also see Him rest peacefully even in the storm. The Bible gives us another example of resting when Elijah confessed his exhaustion from running for his life in Kings 19:  I have had enough Lord. Take my life.  Then he lay down and fell asleep.  It was then that the Lord sent him an angel to tell him to get up and eat,  He did, and lay down again.  Once again the angel said, "Get up and eat for the journey is too much for you."  This time he was strengthened and heard God's command to get up and stand on the mountain where he was rewarded with God's gentle whisper with direction for his next steps.  

Notice that even in our rest we must eat and drink and listen for the Lord.  Never are we to rest or serve so much that we don't persevere in our time with the Lord.  But we also don't have to set action steps that are so rigid and prescribed and lofty that they don't include listening for His guidance of when to move forward and when to lay low.  For me there are days and maybe seasons of getting up and blogging as He fills my mind with inspiration for the journey and my cup runneth over and I want to share.  For me there are times of serving with all my might, when I get to coach and do life plans and retreats, and facilitate bible studies.  And then there are times when I just pray and study and eat and drink in, waiting for a word again, when exhaustion or the weaknesses of my immune system that seems to be my form of Paul's thorn slow me down.  

For you, there may be different kinds of productivity, for our purposes are all different.  For years, my productivity was spent in teaching and mothering and being a wife and serving where I could at church.  There had to be times of rest and there was no room for serving like I do in this season of life.  But there were also times of laziness when I got up after my rest but didn't eat and drink from His Word enough to persevere fully.  And I became sluggish and not peaceful in my rest.

What is behind the  Bigger, Faster, Stronger  motto is the training, the rest, the nutrition that also go into being a successful athlete.  It's not just the working out part that it seems to imply.  I pray that I will continue to eat well daily nutritionally to do all I can to stay well physically, getting my rest and down time.  And to eat well spiritually never skipping my daily intake of Him in some form, so that I truly will persevere in all areas of my unique purpose and be Bigger, Faster, and Stronger for His kingdom. 

Run the Race with Endurance 

Bigger, faster, stronger!

We're told at every turn.

Persevere, get better!

Study, pray and learn!

Serve Him! Use your gifts!

Have quiet time! Press on!

Be fruitful! Be intentional! 

And get up at dawn!

All words of wisdom.

But we must hear it all.

And must walk with Him

And listen lest we fall.

He doesn't give us formulas,

And a schedule that's prescribed.

He just wants us to walk with Him

And daily in Him imbibe.

For life is never easy,

Never constant in its flow,

It's dark and light and good and bad.

We can't be in the know

Of how He wants us to walk each day.

If we did, we wouldn't need Him so.

He'd set us on our path 

And we'd blindly know how to go.

Instead of bigger, faster, stronger 

In our ways and accomplishments.

Just to remain in contact should be 

The point of our perseverance.

Then He'll show us when to push or rest

Only if we quietly stay

At His feet waiting 

The marching orders of each day.

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Seasons Come and Seasons Go

                                     

                                    

Spring is definitely my favorite season - the long-awaited sunny days, the birds chirping, the barbeque smells filling the air, the sound of children playing, the daffodils and pansies raising their colorful heads.  Somewhere in the long hot summer and the interminable cold winter, it seems I often lose my inspiration.  I get into plodding mode, where nothing is exciting and it seems just like a time of waiting.  Even fall is similar to spring in that it is a new beginning.  School starts, with sharp pencils, new crayons, fresh  routines and schedules.  But winter, and summer get so long.

I didn't blog all winter this year.  Maybe that's ok.  Maybe it's ok to allow for a time of dormancy and rest.  Maybe it's a time of Mark 14:28 where Jesus told the disciples to watch and pray.  They watched alright.  And they didn't like what they saw.  He told them this in the garden where He prayed for the cup of suffering to pass.  And though it didn't, the winter-like waiting in the darkness brought His plan into fulfillment.  And the spring of Resurrection came.

This winter was a time of waiting for me.  Though I didn't know why I was feeling so sluggish and nothing brought joy, I was able thankfully to plod through my normal routines of coaching, exercise, bible study and just the dailyness of life.  It wasn't until spring that I found that my thyroid was off-kilter and minor adjustments to my meds brought me back to life along with the blossoming world.

It occurred to me how in this retired season of life, I am more patient with waiting - waiting to get better, waiting for answers to prayers for loved ones and friends, waiting to get direction with this or that.  Though the disciples had to suffer through the waiting of the time after Jesus left this earth, they were rewarded with His Resurrection and the arrival of the Holy Spirit.   The waiting can be so hard.   I watch friends waiting to see if the cancer treatment will work, if their child will get better, if their relationship can be saved.  But always, always, there is healing, there is spring - even if it is in heaven.  

And, though winter may be long, it still offers us the beauty of a new-fallen snow, the comfort of a fire, a cup of hot tea.  And though the heat of summer can be stifling, confining one inside with the air-conditioning, the sunshine, a trip to the beach or poolside, or a tall glass of iced tea is never better than during this season.  Maybe even in our waiting time, we need to look for the blessings, knowing that whatever season of circumstance we're in, change is the only thing certain.  And only our Sovereign Lord can work whatever is difficult during those seasons to the good - and He will!  Yes, even in the deepest suffering whether it be physical or emotional.  It will end.  It will change.  It will be to the good as He promises in Romans 8:28:  All things work together for good to those who love the Lord.   Thank God for seasons.  

Seasons Come and Seasons Go

The waiting sometimes seems forever,

The winter seems so long.

It seems so dark and cold and sad

It seems somehow wrong.

Suffering never makes sense to us

As we wait for its cure.

But always, always the pain ends

And somehow what we  endured

Makes the joy seem more precious,

The spring more beautiful.

For without the waiting 

It wouldn't be so noticeable.

Maybe we'd take it for granted.

If each day on earth was like heaven.

And that is His plan

For suffering acts like leaven.

Because as we wait we grow 

Something deep inside of us 

That enables us to see the plan

And the strength to wait in trust.

We see how He's been there

Again and again and again.

For this earth is a test and

All will find a time when

They must simply wait.

Seasons come and seasons go.

But I am thankful as I wait

I can know He loves me so.