Wednesday Words of Encouragement

Proverbs 4:26-27 (NLT) ~

Mark out a straight path for your feet;
    stay on the safe path.
²⁷ Don’t get sidetracked;
    keep your feet from following evil.

Hebrews 12:1-2 (CSB) ~

Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith. For the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Since August 12, I have walked 19 out of 23 days. Initially, I made the mistake of going from doing nothing after surgery to climbing a mountain on my third day of exercise. And that was a dumb move as it set the recovery back a bit.  So I slowed down, reevaluated what I need to do to get healthy, and have been going at a steady pace. I started by pacing out the distance around the perimeter of our back field and yard and discovered that it's exactly 3/10 of a mile. So I started out just walking a half a mile at a fairly slow pace. Over the past two weeks I have increased it to a mile and some days have actually done that twice in the same day. 

I have come to realize that if I want to get back in shape, I have to go at it slow and steady. I've had to rethink how I approach exercise compared to what I've done in the past. And I realize that consistency is much more important than being able to walk a marathon or climb a mountain and then not exercising again for weeks.

The same can be said of our Christian walk. We are to grow in faith and as we follow Jesus, learn to say no to our sinful and selfish desires. Sometimes, we want to become giants in the faith without realizing that the path to that requires putting one foot in front of the other on a daily basis. 

It will mean that each day I wake up and resolve to be kind to my irritating coworker. It means that I will be patient with my family. It will involve not blurting out an angry response, or it will be choosing to say, "I'm not going to give in to my self-centeredness." It is a daily walk with Christ. And then over time, we will be able to see how far we've really come.

I have a very long way to go before I'll be climbing any mountains again. But the daily walking has resulted in seeing my knee getting stronger. My clothes are fitting better and I can see my legs beginning to tone up. My spirits are lighter as I'm able to get outside in the fresh air.

As you daily walk in the way of Christ, you too will see results. As you keep your eyes on Jesus, and follow Him, you will be begin to win the race that He has laid out for you.

Keep on keeping on!