Training Time

Not that I want to ever take pleasure in somebody else’s pain…but yesterday morning I felt pretty good when I passed a guy riding his bike. He was going up a bit of a hill, but then again so was I. And I wasn’t on a bike…I was running.

This got me thinking. It wasn’t that the guy couldn’t have ridden faster; it’s just that he hadn’t trained enough to climb the hill with ease. I’m sure he was feeling a little burning in his legs and he actually did get to a point where he quit riding and starting walking his bike up the hill.

You can’t perform at a higher level than what you have trained for. You can sometimes fake your way through shorter and easier races, but when you get to a certain level of performance or the longer distances it is pretty hard to fake your way through.

Training isn’t easy. Especially when you are just starting out and are new to the concept. The first long run or bike ride, the first time climbing a steep hill, or the first time you set out to swim for an hour non-stop. These can be pretty tough and can be quite challenging. Yet after you have done it a number of times you find that it isn’t so challenging anymore. In fact you can begin to pick up the speed a little bit just to make it a bit more challenging.

What are doing in your life right now that is training you for the future? Have you made a decision that requires a good amount of faith just to make it through? Have you bitten off more than you can chew? Have you committed to something that aren’t quite able to accomplish on your own?

I’m not saying we should always be over-committing, I’m not saying we should always bite off more than we can chew. But what I am saying is that it is ok to take steps like these once in a while. It is okay to stretch ourselves and it is ok to operate in a mode where all we have to cling to is our faith. It is in these moments that our relationship with God becomes very real and very clear.

Do some training today. I don’t want to run pass any of you while you are on your bike!!

1 Timothy 4:8-9 – “For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance.”

Have a blessed day,

RodZ

© 2008 – Rodney Zimmerman – All rights reserved