This morning, I rolled out of bed, had my quiet time and headed off to the gym. I went to bed a little early last night, so I was able to get up a little early and ended up at 24 Hour Fitness at 5:00 this morning. At about 5:30, the gym began to fill up with a lot of faces I have never seen before. Not being quite awake yet, it took me a while to realize that the "Resolution" crowd had just arrived. These are the folks who set a new year's resolution to exercise, get in shape and lose weight. So the first few weeks of the year, they are all over it. They come in fired up, trying out all of the new machines and filling up the gym. I have a friend who skips coming to the gym for the entire month of January because the "Resolution" crowd can make things a little more hectic and crowded, slowing down his workout and frustrating him. So as I am working out, I look at the faces and try to determine which faces I may actually see in mid-February. Usually, of about 50 new faces only 3 to 5 of them will be there a month later.
Why will the number of these new faces decrease at the end of January? Well, that's about the time the reality of being at the gym at 5:00 begins to hit most folks who have set a new year's resolution to get in shape or lose weight. They begin to realize that it really is a grind. The bed gets softer and it's easier to set the alarm back farther and farther, justifying the need to "rest the body". They also begin to see that the weight isn't coming off as quickly as they thought it would. Their bodies have also hit the wall and are now aching and sore. They begin to rationalize that they have lost a little weight, so it's all good. Or they will wait until the weather warms up. Or they can work out as easily from home. Or a multitude of other reasons to blow off going to the gym. Please, don't think I'm not grateful for these folks. They keep my monthly dues lower because there is another name for the "Resolution" crowd...PROFIT. They have paid for two or three years of membership and will only use the membership a few times. They pay for the gym without using the equipment.
Sound familiar? Have you ever set goals and not reached them? Have you ever started on a diet and then given up? Have you ever tried to get in shape and slowly begin to make progress and then stop? Have you ever decided to be more affirming in your speech and stay with it until that first nagging person criticizes you?
I believe most of us don't set goals or don't keep moving towards those goals because we are short-sighted. We don't know how to pace ourselves for the long journey. Allowing God to change us is a long, life-time journey. Losing weight and keeping the weight off requires a change of lifestyle, not just a quick fix. Most of us want immediate results and when those desired results don't happen, we give up. We want to attain certain goals, but we never really thought about the sacrifice it would take to meet those goals. Maybe we never had anyone to hold us accountable for those new goals. Maybe we aimed higher than was possible. Maybe we are just comfortable where we are. Maybe we just don't have the willpower we thought we had. It all boils down to being able to grind it out when the road gets boring, difficult and seemingly non-productive. It just gets too hard.
Now, I am not against setting goals and new year's resolutions. Every year, I write down my goals as a pastor, person, follower of Christ and family man, then give them to the deacons of my church and to a hand full of trusted prayer partners. They give me feedback on those goals and then hold me accountable for following through on them. I don't always reach those goals, but they help set the tone of my year and even longer periods of time. I have found that if I don't set goals, I spin my wheels. I gravitate to the same-old same-old and have no vibrancy in my life. I need new challenges or I will get comfortable in just getting by. I have found this is especially true in my walk with Christ. I continually need to be challenging myself to grow, mature and change or my walk becomes dull and boring. I will drift away from a passionate faith in Christ to a faith which attempts to keep Christ in a familiar place so I won't have to change.
Jesus was a goal-setter. He knew what His purpose was when He came to earth and He stayed focused on that goal. In Luke 19:10, Jesus said "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." His entire life was focused on this goal and it took Him thirty-three years to complete this goal while He was on the earth. As a child, His parents found this out when He stayed behind in Jerusalem talking to the religious leaders. Those religious leaders found this out whenever they tried to trap Him with religious questions and He would answer by looking at the heart and attitudes contained in the Law. His disciples found this out whenever they went anywhere with Him. He was always doing the unexpected, like touching lepers, speaking to women, teaching Samaritans, hanging out with "sinners" and preparing them for His death and resurrection. Jesus' own family tried to keep Him from attaining this goal, but He would not be denied. Even on the cross, He became powerless and told His Father that he was committing His spirit to His Father. So how did Jesus do as a goal-setter? Not too badly! He has saved me and I was lost. If you are lost, He can save you too.
So go ahead and prayerfully set some goals which are led by the Spirit. Don't let the possibility of failure keep you from stepping out in faith. Find you some true friends who will encourage and support you in these goals. Take come risks and try to let God change your life, your mind, your body, your attitude or even your emotions. Just be prepared for the long haul. Be ready to run a marathon, not a sprint. Prepare yourself for the imminent day when it will be painful, difficult and a struggle. May this Sip from the Well refresh you to run the race God has marked out for you!
No comments:
Post a Comment