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Cal's Pastoral Epistles
"It Takes Practice"
May 15, 2008
I got up this morning and turned on the television. I was thinking about
going to the gym but as luck would have it, I found a great program on
the tube. I got my coffee and began watching the men and women dance
around and go through the motions of an exciting routine. The music was
good. All the participants were smiling and they looked like they were
having fun. The host was so encouraging as she led the group through a
series of moves that looked so easy that I decided to join in right in my
living room.
I started moving and bobbing up and down. I began running in place and
kicking my leg out. Then a funny thing happened. I looked at the television
again and it dawned on me that they weren't having fun. They were
exercising. Exercise is hard work. No matter how easy it looks when you
are watching someone else do it, it always becomes exponentially harder
when you begin to do it yourself.
I remember the time I decided I was going to start jogging. I lasted exactly
two minutes. By the time I reached the end of my driveway I was already
in trouble. I was 100 yards down the street and I had developed a
side-ache. I know people who love to run long distances. They all say the
same thing. It takes time. You can't become a marathon runner over night.
You have to do it step by step. You have to gradually build up to it. You
begin by running short distances and then increase how long and how far
you go.
I have found the same thing is true at the gym. I have been working out up
at World Gym for ten years now. When I first started doing my cardio
exercises I couldn't last on any of the machines more than ten or fifteen
minutes. Now it is not unusual for me to go 45 minutes on one or two
machines each visit. So when I think about the program I saw on
television, it should not have surprised me that I didn't last too long today.
It was something new. In order for me to get anything out of it, I know I
am going to have to be in it for the long haul.
It struck me that many of us look at living a life of faith the same way as
we look at exercising. We think it should be easy. Yet the opposite is often
true. It seems like the minute we decide we are going to be faithful that we
are tempted and tried on every front. Our friends challenge us, problems
pop up at work, and sometimes we even find that difficulties arise at home.
We look around see others who seem to make it look easy. We give up
because it is harder than we thought and it is so much easier just to go
with the flow.
The truth is that living a faith filled life can only be done by practicing over
time. We need to start small and build up our endurance. The first step is a
desire to walk with the Lord. We begin by making a commitment to go to
worship services every week. The messages, the rituals and traditions of
the faith provide a foundation on which we can stand. Then once we have
that routine down, we step it up by looking for a Bible study to attend or a
discussion group to belong to. This connects us with a support group that
will encourage us and guide us in our growth. Out of the group will come
a desire to push ourselves by adding regular times of prayer and devotion
to our schedule. To use the analogy of a runner, I know one young lady
who started off running with a group of friends and today she still does
that but she also runs 3 -5 miles on her own every day. She tells me it the
best part of her day. so it is with our prayer time.
These all form the foundation for a successful faith life. They are the
building blocks that allow us to weather the storms and stand strong in the
face of adversity. When you see someone who looks so strong even
though they are going through a difficult time, it is because they have had a
lot of practice walking with the Lord. It is comfortable because it is like an
old shoe. It has been a part of their life a long time and is well worn. So
what are you waiting for? Spring is here and there is no better time to get
started. Whether it is exercising your body or your faith, it all begins with
the first step. So let's step to it!
God bless. See you in church. Cal
May 15, 2008
I got up this morning and turned on the television. I was thinking about
going to the gym but as luck would have it, I found a great program on
the tube. I got my coffee and began watching the men and women dance
around and go through the motions of an exciting routine. The music was
good. All the participants were smiling and they looked like they were
having fun. The host was so encouraging as she led the group through a
series of moves that looked so easy that I decided to join in right in my
living room.
I started moving and bobbing up and down. I began running in place and
kicking my leg out. Then a funny thing happened. I looked at the television
again and it dawned on me that they weren't having fun. They were
exercising. Exercise is hard work. No matter how easy it looks when you
are watching someone else do it, it always becomes exponentially harder
when you begin to do it yourself.
I remember the time I decided I was going to start jogging. I lasted exactly
two minutes. By the time I reached the end of my driveway I was already
in trouble. I was 100 yards down the street and I had developed a
side-ache. I know people who love to run long distances. They all say the
same thing. It takes time. You can't become a marathon runner over night.
You have to do it step by step. You have to gradually build up to it. You
begin by running short distances and then increase how long and how far
you go.
I have found the same thing is true at the gym. I have been working out up
at World Gym for ten years now. When I first started doing my cardio
exercises I couldn't last on any of the machines more than ten or fifteen
minutes. Now it is not unusual for me to go 45 minutes on one or two
machines each visit. So when I think about the program I saw on
television, it should not have surprised me that I didn't last too long today.
It was something new. In order for me to get anything out of it, I know I
am going to have to be in it for the long haul.
It struck me that many of us look at living a life of faith the same way as
we look at exercising. We think it should be easy. Yet the opposite is often
true. It seems like the minute we decide we are going to be faithful that we
are tempted and tried on every front. Our friends challenge us, problems
pop up at work, and sometimes we even find that difficulties arise at home.
We look around see others who seem to make it look easy. We give up
because it is harder than we thought and it is so much easier just to go
with the flow.
The truth is that living a faith filled life can only be done by practicing over
time. We need to start small and build up our endurance. The first step is a
desire to walk with the Lord. We begin by making a commitment to go to
worship services every week. The messages, the rituals and traditions of
the faith provide a foundation on which we can stand. Then once we have
that routine down, we step it up by looking for a Bible study to attend or a
discussion group to belong to. This connects us with a support group that
will encourage us and guide us in our growth. Out of the group will come
a desire to push ourselves by adding regular times of prayer and devotion
to our schedule. To use the analogy of a runner, I know one young lady
who started off running with a group of friends and today she still does
that but she also runs 3 -5 miles on her own every day. She tells me it the
best part of her day. so it is with our prayer time.
These all form the foundation for a successful faith life. They are the
building blocks that allow us to weather the storms and stand strong in the
face of adversity. When you see someone who looks so strong even
though they are going through a difficult time, it is because they have had a
lot of practice walking with the Lord. It is comfortable because it is like an
old shoe. It has been a part of their life a long time and is well worn. So
what are you waiting for? Spring is here and there is no better time to get
started. Whether it is exercising your body or your faith, it all begins with
the first step. So let's step to it!
God bless. See you in church. Cal
Pastor Cal Lord writes these weekly epistles to
help us see God in every day things.
help us see God in every day things.
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