Enjoy the Ride

As a Christian, I am surprised at how many people who aren’t Christians “get it.” I was reading a running magazine earlier this morning. I began running less than a year ago. It’s amazing how, when you love something, it doesn’t take much time before you’re “all-in.” I was reading an article on confidence in running. If you’ve ever ran before you know that running can be, if it isn’t, one of the most mentally challenging sports/activities. I struggle with this every time my feet hit the pavement. Confidence is one thing I don’t have. I’m a tuba player, not a runner. As a pastor, I have a lot of stress that builds up throughout the week. I work with people. And people are, well, stressful. Running is how I deal with it. It’s amazing to me that something so stressful can be stress-relieving. I read about an all-American runner who has battled confidence issues for years. She runs for Nike’s Oregon Project. Salazar, the team’s coach, hired a sports psychologist, a former British rugby player. His advice, to my surprise, was rather prolific. He told her to “not focus on the destination/distance.” Rather, he said, “to enjoy the ride as much as the destination.” For that to be an extremely biblical idea, I don’t hear too many Christians extending the same advice. Far too long evangelicals have viewed salvation in terms of “going to heaven” when they die or “being saved from hell.” We’ve missed the point. When taught to pray, by Jesus himself, we were told to pray that, basically, “God’s kingdom would come on earth as it is in heaven.” The point of Christian faith isn’t, to the surprise of the many, to have “fire insurance.” We should, as the sports psychologist advised, “enjoy the ride as much as the destination.” Will this be stressful? Absolutely. Will it be enjoyable? You’d better believe it. It is only when we see faith as the here-and-now that it makes sense in the there-and-then. The race is set before us and we await the prize.

Inadequate

Insecurity is something I have dealt with my entire life. Some of my earliest memories are centered on my insecurity. I was talking with my wife recently and shared memories from my childhood in which I felt stupid or inadequate and I don’t even know why. It’s as if there has been this bend in me toward that kind of feeling. The fact is that there is. There is, within you and me, a bend toward emotional and physical instability. It’s effects from the fall. People tend to direct these feelings in different ways. Some people lash out at others because of it. Other folks, people like me, tend to turn the attention inward and blame ourselves. I never felt smart enough. I never looked good enough. I was never as socially apt as I needed to be. I was never athletic enough. Whatever it was…I wasn’t good enough. This is what I thought. This feeling wasn’t confined to a single area of my life. School, family, church, you name it, I never felt adequate. For years I tried to validate myself through multiple means, all of which to end badly. It wasn’t until I discovered my unique identity in Christ that I felt somewhat adequate. When someone develops a relationship with Jesus the healing process is often lengthy and slow. This isn’t the way it’s usually advertised. I was sold a one-size-fits-all faith that never worked. I felt let down. I realized much later that the gospel is uniquely fitted to every individual. There are as many manifestations and applications of the gospel as there are people. The gospel is unique. You are unique. I heard a phrase once that I loved. It goes, “a message that is good enough for everyone isn’t fit for anyone.” That’s so true. My question to you now is this, “What kind of message are you bringing people?” I need to see to it that in my feelings of inadequacy I invest in others and instill within them a message of unique request. While we heal from the fall let us bring others along for the slow, long, and redeeming ride as we uniquely follow Christ together.

Writing

Recently, and I mean rather recently, I developed a passion and desire to write. The desire wasn't spawned out of a spiritual or philosophical epiphany but rather a love for knowledge and dialogue. I love to learn. I love to read. I love to talk. Therefore I have decided that writing would be a natural outlet for myself, as well as others, to articulate and fine-tune some thoughts and specific emotions regarding an array of topics. I invite you to join me in this conversation about life, faith, and the struggles involved in both. It's an honor to share with you and visit for a while. Enjoy yourself and your circumstances in the days to come and I'll try to start crankin' on this soon. Thanks for your time.