day 1330: Course Corrections

"And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us."

On Saturday of this past weekend, I completed the Phoenix Marathon, which was my eighth Marathon.  I was so excited about the race, the course, and being in Phoenix with dear friends for the weekend. I felt like this might be a race where I could shave a few minutes off of my personal best.  But, not to be.  I was almost 19 minutes worse than my best time.  The course was predominately downhill, which should make for a fast time.  You would think, right?  What looks like it can be one thing, can actually turn around and bite you. Look at this elevation map:

This map shows a 1000 foot elevation drop, but it's the first 4 miles that are of most notice. Those 4 miles at that steepness, was a killer on the quads and by mile 18 my quads were thrashed (they are still killing me).  What looks to be an advantage, can turn out to be a real disadvantage.  Just because it all looks like smooth sailing and downhill doesn't mean that things will work out for the better.  The best course is always the one that you expect, have managed before and can predict, even if they have some uphills in them.

The race that God has put in front of us requires endurance to finish it well.  If this wasn't so, Paul wouldn't have put that challenge out to us in Hebrews.  Our race (life and our spiritual life) is one that none of us have ever personally run before so each day brings a new hill, a new footing, or a new obstacle to overcome. But, what we know is that with God's support, love and grace that our course can be conquered.  Today, we start a workweek and it might be that we are still sore from something from last week or the past and we don't feel like we can climb the hills or control ourselves from careening out of control.  This is the moment to call upon Him to be there with us so that we move forward in His will and Spirit asking for guidance for each and every course correction needed. 

Reference: Hebrews 12:1 (New Living Translation)

day 942: Marathoning, Part 3 - Endurance

"...let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us."

Summer is always a good season for me to think about the importance of endurance.  Maybe it is watching the Tour de France and being totally blown away each year with the endurance that it takes to compete and complete that race.  Or, it is the build up of miles for a Fall marathon.  In this year, I am excited to watch all of the endurance events in the Olympics and see how the athletes prepare and race when the moment comes. Work is a marathon too.  26.2 miles is a lot like all of the year we work looking for a finish line.  Companies must sign up for the marathon or fear that they will come up short when a competitor continues to be there.  Endurance is about training, fitness, pacing and mental strength.  How many times do we sit down a year and think about where our business will be in 5-10 years and how we will get there, or more importantly, how are we readying ourselves to get there?  We would be best to always think in terms of a marathon to be run and be sure we are ready for the long run that is work and business.

Paul tells us to run with endurance, but not just run with endurance any run, but to run the race God has put before us.  Paul does not tell us the distance of that race, but we know that the race of being human does not stop and lasts a lifetime.  We have a marathon of faith to run, if we so choose to enter that race.  Let's consider that each step we take, at home, at work, with purpose or for leisure is about the race and the finish line that God has set before us. Let's think today about the different aspects of our lives that are either keeping us moving forward or setting us back and deal with each accordingly so that we may have the endurance to complete the full race and so with God's favor!







Reference: Hebrews 12:1 (New Living Translation)

day 941: Marathoning, Part 2 - Weight

"...let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us."

 A few years ago I read a book called, "Racing Weight".  It was a book about how runners can increase their speed by shedding body fat percentages.  Same level of fitness, with less body fat and you will go faster.  Makes sense as any kind of weight tends to slow us down.  I see it all the time in companies where the organization has taken on too much expense or too many people and the company just gets slower.  Ultimately, they can't complete the marathon either because they have too much weight wearing them down.  We can see many companies try and decrease this burden by reorganizing, laying off and then trying to redefine work process for greater efficiency and productivity.  Of course, like a person, there is an impact to too large of a weight loss all at once.  Muscle gets reduced too and with enough continued weight swings, up and down, the body can't figure out at what level to recover.  As we consider the long tun in our organizations we should also, like the elite Olympic marathoners will do this coming weekend and next, closely monitor our weight to be sure that we are where we are supposed to be at all times.

Paul knew something about weight.  He carried many burdens from his past and his present.  He references running a few times in the Bible so he might also have known the difference that a few pounds of weight can make in one's ability to cover a long distance.  We are told to strip the weights of our sin and to run with endurance God's race for us.  As we go to work today and think about the years we have in front of us to bring glory to God, what is the weight we are carrying that just needs to go away once and for all?  We all have it, and like any other weight issue, if not addressed it hangs around and gets harder and harder each year to remove.  Consider that today, of all days, would be the time to start paying attention to this weight.

Reference: Hebrews 12:1 (New Living Translation)

day 940: Marathoning, Part 1 - The Long Run

"...let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us."

I am training for a Marathon in the fall. It will be my 7th.  I am determined to qualify for Boston but I don't know that I will have the speed to get it done.  But, if I keep running at the same pace I am now for another few years, then I might be able to qualify because the times go down the older you get.  This approach doesn't work for business.  If we stay the same speed then we get passed up by someone else, but at the same time we have to be able to run the long race as business is certainly not about the short sprint.  I worked at Pepsi when they celebrated their 100th Anniversary.  That was nearly 20 years ago and they continue on, doing basically the same thing they did when they started back in North Carolina, but everyday trying to improve, become more efficient, become smarter and innovating.  This is what the marathon is about.  It's lots and lots of hours and miles trying to get better and better so that the long run doesn't feel all that bad.  Is your business thinking and acting like there is a marathon to be run?

The Christian life is also one of endurance and fortitude for the long run.  Jesus' life journey, while shorter than the years we may live, was one of endurance and relentless commitment to the finish. When we think of how we need to train and ready ourselves we need to be putting the hours into our time in God's Word, on our knees, and in fellowship with other believers.  How diligent are we "putting in the miles" or are we just getting by and hoping for the best results?  That was not the way of Jesus and that is not the life He modeled and calls on us to live.  Let's be sure that we are committing, or recommitting to the long run with Jesus.

Reference:  Hebrews 12:1 (New Living Translation)

day 11: The Work Marathon

Let’s see, you come out school around 21 or 22 years old. You would like to retire around 55 – 60 (maybe later now that our 401Ks have turned into 201Ks). You understand that the days of get into a company, get stock options, get rich, get out, all by 30 years old, are over. You have a realistic grasp of the situation and you know you are in the work world for a marathon season or more. Yesterday, I used Romans 5:3 to talk about how we are to rise above our problems and trials. Today, I would like to reference that verse again as a verse that acknowledges the fact that we need to have a great amount of endurance to run and finish the race well. A career is like running a marathon. It is filled with times of warm-up, times of sprinting, uphills, downhills, running in front of, behind and side-by side with others, being caught behind someone too slow, being shoved and elbowed by someone you don’t know, sweating, and eating and drinking on the run. And most similarly, it is just hard to do well, much less finish the race. There is only one way you finish. That is with endurance. And there is only one way you obtain endurance; you have to train and be tried. In the work world, we get trials and problems thrown us every day, all day long. How we respond and learn from those challenges is how we will either build endurance or stay at our same level, which might not take us to the end. If we flinch and fear away from those hard challenges that will inevitably bring us more problems and trials, and if we respond when faced with these, with a grumpy and resentful attitude, we run the risk of missing the opportunities to strengthen ourselves and becoming more able to endure whatever might come our way. Paul says in Romans 5:3 to not run away from these trials but to rejoice in them. That means to have the “bring ‘em on” attitude and be secure in your faith that they are nothing more than the needed obstacles to build more endurance. Managing and making the most of your talents in your career is a lot about being ready and prepared for the next step up when it comes your way. If you cannot endure those things today, you certainly won’t be able to endure what is coming tomorrow and the next day, year, or decade. Start today with a new attitude towards the trials and problems you encounter. See them as the training you need to increase your endurance. Rejoice that you have God as a training partner who will show up at the gym of life each and every day for you. Build that endurance so that you make the most of the years of work you have in front of you!



Reference: Romans 5:3 (New Living Testament)