Saturday, September 04, 2010
In the Zone...
While working out at the gym last night, any onlooker would have seen me and said, "She is in the zone." You know when your music is too loud even for a teenager and your gaze is straight forward with the focus of a hunter? You want to stop but you can't because your mind is steady upon the task at hand.
My goal was to run four miles averaging 8 min 30 second miles. I also spent ten minutes on the elliptical machine and ended with ten minutes of heart pumping exercise on the bike. Over all, it was a great workout. My shins were killing due to some nagging shin splints, but I was there to work out and that's what I did.
Any time I start to feel wimpy due to pain or fatigue I just think about Gail Devers and her three Olympic championships amidst her battle with Graves' disease. She could have given up, but she didn't. Most people don't work out as hard as I do and I'm no Gail Devers, that's for sure.
But, I guess when I'm at the gym or out running a course, my goal is to get the most out of that precious time while I've got it. I'm also training for a few specific races coming up in our area. But mostly, I just feel a personal call to do my best while I'm able-bodied to actually work out and run the race ahead of me.
As I run my heart out or cycle like a maniac, I occasionally wonder if I'm living this sold out for my faith in God. Sometimes, it's easy to get so committed to our physical pursuits, such as our economic investments, our health endeavors, or our professional goals, that we fix our eyes on this temporary life rather than upon eternity. Isn't it the truth though?
When we do actually sit down to rest our eyes upon the Lord, we frequently aren't able to slow down. We are so focused on the tasks around us, that we can not be still for spiritual pursuits. But, here's the thing: if we can not rest before the Lord to meditate on His goals for us, then all the other stuff is done in vain.
No matter how much money you earn, no matter how physically fit you are, and no matter how brilliant your credentials make you, if you do not spend daily time in the presence of our Creator, your life's accomplishments are meaningless.
It's not that your efforts won't produce anything; the fact is that they will. But, you won't net eternal fruit from those goals if you don't first lay them in front of the alter before the Lord.
What does this look like? Sitting before the Lord doesn't have to be fancy; in fact it can be very practical. It requires focusing your spiritual lens to see through His eyes. Here's an example. At the start of your day, just pray a quick prayer to set the plethora of tasks ahead of you before God's agenda first.
Say, "God, whatever you have for today, that's what I want to be about." Ask God to use all things for His good. Ask Him to direct your steps so you can be about His eternal plan amidst your daily activities.
Some people would recognize me at the gym as the gal who sweats like a fountain. Others would say, "She's that weird woman who can actually be seen lifting up her hands in praise to God while she's running."
While some would label me as strange, I simply can't pass up that moment to praise God when an awesome worship song comes up on my running mix. Can you ignore the chance to praise the Lord who has given you everything you have, even the eyes you use to read this post?
As you pray throughout the day as well, ask God to guide your steps toward His purposes by giving you ears to hear His call. Ask Him to lead you to that conversation with a co-worker. Ask Him to show you how you can pray for that fellow mom who is going through way too much right now.
Begin to see other people the way He does. Ask Him to give you compassion for that person who always seems grumpy or difficult. You see, when we live for eternity, we actually interpret things differently, as God does.
So, challenge yourself to live out the fruit of His spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22)).
Let's get in the zone people... in the zone for the King. Let's fix our eyes upon His agenda, upon His will for our lives, upon His schedule for our day. In the midst of all the things we have to do, let's not forget to take some time out out to set our hearts right before Him.
Then, no matter what you're doing: working out, adjusting your checkbook, packing your kids' lunches, or logging in to your work computer, you'll be investing for eternity. Zone in fellow believers. This life is just a blink. Then, we're off to worship our God for eternity!
My goal was to run four miles averaging 8 min 30 second miles. I also spent ten minutes on the elliptical machine and ended with ten minutes of heart pumping exercise on the bike. Over all, it was a great workout. My shins were killing due to some nagging shin splints, but I was there to work out and that's what I did.
Any time I start to feel wimpy due to pain or fatigue I just think about Gail Devers and her three Olympic championships amidst her battle with Graves' disease. She could have given up, but she didn't. Most people don't work out as hard as I do and I'm no Gail Devers, that's for sure.
But, I guess when I'm at the gym or out running a course, my goal is to get the most out of that precious time while I've got it. I'm also training for a few specific races coming up in our area. But mostly, I just feel a personal call to do my best while I'm able-bodied to actually work out and run the race ahead of me.
As I run my heart out or cycle like a maniac, I occasionally wonder if I'm living this sold out for my faith in God. Sometimes, it's easy to get so committed to our physical pursuits, such as our economic investments, our health endeavors, or our professional goals, that we fix our eyes on this temporary life rather than upon eternity. Isn't it the truth though?
When we do actually sit down to rest our eyes upon the Lord, we frequently aren't able to slow down. We are so focused on the tasks around us, that we can not be still for spiritual pursuits. But, here's the thing: if we can not rest before the Lord to meditate on His goals for us, then all the other stuff is done in vain.
No matter how much money you earn, no matter how physically fit you are, and no matter how brilliant your credentials make you, if you do not spend daily time in the presence of our Creator, your life's accomplishments are meaningless.
It's not that your efforts won't produce anything; the fact is that they will. But, you won't net eternal fruit from those goals if you don't first lay them in front of the alter before the Lord.
What does this look like? Sitting before the Lord doesn't have to be fancy; in fact it can be very practical. It requires focusing your spiritual lens to see through His eyes. Here's an example. At the start of your day, just pray a quick prayer to set the plethora of tasks ahead of you before God's agenda first.
Say, "God, whatever you have for today, that's what I want to be about." Ask God to use all things for His good. Ask Him to direct your steps so you can be about His eternal plan amidst your daily activities.
Some people would recognize me at the gym as the gal who sweats like a fountain. Others would say, "She's that weird woman who can actually be seen lifting up her hands in praise to God while she's running."
While some would label me as strange, I simply can't pass up that moment to praise God when an awesome worship song comes up on my running mix. Can you ignore the chance to praise the Lord who has given you everything you have, even the eyes you use to read this post?
As you pray throughout the day as well, ask God to guide your steps toward His purposes by giving you ears to hear His call. Ask Him to lead you to that conversation with a co-worker. Ask Him to show you how you can pray for that fellow mom who is going through way too much right now.
Begin to see other people the way He does. Ask Him to give you compassion for that person who always seems grumpy or difficult. You see, when we live for eternity, we actually interpret things differently, as God does.
So, challenge yourself to live out the fruit of His spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22)).
Let's get in the zone people... in the zone for the King. Let's fix our eyes upon His agenda, upon His will for our lives, upon His schedule for our day. In the midst of all the things we have to do, let's not forget to take some time out out to set our hearts right before Him.
Then, no matter what you're doing: working out, adjusting your checkbook, packing your kids' lunches, or logging in to your work computer, you'll be investing for eternity. Zone in fellow believers. This life is just a blink. Then, we're off to worship our God for eternity!
Labels: athletics, Bible, God, purpose, worship
Monday, August 30, 2010
Beauty all around us...
There's so much beauty all around us. As I write this post, I'm staring at some picturesque white lilies and some velvety red roses. And as I bite into varying shades of green broccoli, I'm blown away by the limitless detail found in such seemingly unimportant florets.
I sip from my glass of Merlot and observe purples mixed with burgundies and again, I am flabbergasted. I glance to my right to watch my tan Labrador, who accompanies me downstairs while the rest of my family is upstairs (Praise the Lord, I get a few minutes to myself); I can't help but observe her noteworthy traits as well. Her fur changes tones from her ears to the top of her head and then from her back to her neck. The tans darken and lighten to bring forth a palette of richness and depth.
It might sound like I'm overdoing it to be awed by flowers, broccoli, a common glass of Merlot, and my seven-year-old Labrador, named Nugget. But, the truth is, that if we don't stop to be moved by some of the simple things around us, we must question when we will pause to notice the bigger things in life. Will we ever quit moving between the maddening cycle of waking, eating, working, running errands, eating, and sleeping only to awake again and start all over?
Every single night, there is a host of starry wonderment above us, but we rarely step outside to gaze upon its majesty. Even recently when Mars lined up into visual perfection with our moon, how many people stopped what they were doing to notice its glory? It won't happen again for tens of thousands of years and even then, many people continued on with their movie rental and their dessert.
How often do we really stop to evaluate the miracle of the human body? Of our very own heart beat? Of the blood that flows and of the cells that divide? Of the brain waves that glide effortlessly along, doing their own thing so involuntarily? Do we credit each breath as a miracle, one given to us from God above?
Though these simplistic thoughts might seem irrelevant to our daily lives, they actually serve an important function towards drawing us into the holy realm of the Almighty. When we observe His creation around us and see that it is good, we are drawn closer to Him. When we gaze upon His beautiful works, we are drawn a little bit closer to the One who allows us to make these observations in the first place.
What we usually do is speed past the goodness and the beauty around us; we miss the artfulness of the colorful flowers, the varied vegetables, a beautiful glass of liquid standing still, or a dog lying at rest with the light hitting its fur like a choreographed dance. We miss the Creator who created it all. We deny the Creator the glory due His name when we speed past the awesomeness staring us in the face.
Though this idea still puzzles some readers, I want to challenge some of you to hang on for a moment longer. Think about what happens when you sit outside under the stars, when you stare upon their intensity and their massivity. If you believe in God, they make you think upon Him. Even if you don't credit a Creator, you think about what's beyond our world. It leads you to something bigger, to something beyond yourself. And that is a good thing.
The result of our slowing down which leads to deeper reflections is the very reason that we must slow down. We must rest our glance upon the simple things touching our path on a daily basis. We must revel in the delicate fragrance of the roses around us. We should enjoy the multifaceted flavors in the foods we eat.
Let's enjoy the soft touch of our pet as we embrace her soothing fur. Let's take time to adore the Creator of that beautiful sunrise and the sunset as well. Let's take a few moments to set our eyes upon the starry sky, held together by the Master Artist.
When these experiences draw us closer to the one who is THE ONE, we are transformed more closely into His image. We begin to look like Him and ultimately, we are changed. Let's slow down fellow believers. Let's observe His creation all around us. Let's worship the King together.
Often times, as I hum praise songs during the day, I invite my kids to sing with me. I remind them about the Scripture in the Psalms that talks about how if we do not praise the Lord, then the rocks will cry out to Him in our stead. We worship by singing and we are called into that place by thanking Him for His awesomeness all around us throughout the day.
I sip from my glass of Merlot and observe purples mixed with burgundies and again, I am flabbergasted. I glance to my right to watch my tan Labrador, who accompanies me downstairs while the rest of my family is upstairs (Praise the Lord, I get a few minutes to myself); I can't help but observe her noteworthy traits as well. Her fur changes tones from her ears to the top of her head and then from her back to her neck. The tans darken and lighten to bring forth a palette of richness and depth.
It might sound like I'm overdoing it to be awed by flowers, broccoli, a common glass of Merlot, and my seven-year-old Labrador, named Nugget. But, the truth is, that if we don't stop to be moved by some of the simple things around us, we must question when we will pause to notice the bigger things in life. Will we ever quit moving between the maddening cycle of waking, eating, working, running errands, eating, and sleeping only to awake again and start all over?
Every single night, there is a host of starry wonderment above us, but we rarely step outside to gaze upon its majesty. Even recently when Mars lined up into visual perfection with our moon, how many people stopped what they were doing to notice its glory? It won't happen again for tens of thousands of years and even then, many people continued on with their movie rental and their dessert.
How often do we really stop to evaluate the miracle of the human body? Of our very own heart beat? Of the blood that flows and of the cells that divide? Of the brain waves that glide effortlessly along, doing their own thing so involuntarily? Do we credit each breath as a miracle, one given to us from God above?
Though these simplistic thoughts might seem irrelevant to our daily lives, they actually serve an important function towards drawing us into the holy realm of the Almighty. When we observe His creation around us and see that it is good, we are drawn closer to Him. When we gaze upon His beautiful works, we are drawn a little bit closer to the One who allows us to make these observations in the first place.
What we usually do is speed past the goodness and the beauty around us; we miss the artfulness of the colorful flowers, the varied vegetables, a beautiful glass of liquid standing still, or a dog lying at rest with the light hitting its fur like a choreographed dance. We miss the Creator who created it all. We deny the Creator the glory due His name when we speed past the awesomeness staring us in the face.
Though this idea still puzzles some readers, I want to challenge some of you to hang on for a moment longer. Think about what happens when you sit outside under the stars, when you stare upon their intensity and their massivity. If you believe in God, they make you think upon Him. Even if you don't credit a Creator, you think about what's beyond our world. It leads you to something bigger, to something beyond yourself. And that is a good thing.
The result of our slowing down which leads to deeper reflections is the very reason that we must slow down. We must rest our glance upon the simple things touching our path on a daily basis. We must revel in the delicate fragrance of the roses around us. We should enjoy the multifaceted flavors in the foods we eat.
Let's enjoy the soft touch of our pet as we embrace her soothing fur. Let's take time to adore the Creator of that beautiful sunrise and the sunset as well. Let's take a few moments to set our eyes upon the starry sky, held together by the Master Artist.
When these experiences draw us closer to the one who is THE ONE, we are transformed more closely into His image. We begin to look like Him and ultimately, we are changed. Let's slow down fellow believers. Let's observe His creation all around us. Let's worship the King together.
Often times, as I hum praise songs during the day, I invite my kids to sing with me. I remind them about the Scripture in the Psalms that talks about how if we do not praise the Lord, then the rocks will cry out to Him in our stead. We worship by singing and we are called into that place by thanking Him for His awesomeness all around us throughout the day.
Labels: beauty, Christian, family, God, worship
