The Race

I learned this verse as a child:

"I press on toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" Phillipians 3:14 (and of course that's in the King James Version - we were good Baptists)

Here is another:

1 Corinthians 9:24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.

And one more:

Hebrews 6:1 Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, (NASB ©1995)
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A week ago or so Hubby asked me, "What has God been teaching you?"

At the time I didn't have a good answer. There were some fuzzy thoughts floating around in my brain that I couldn't put into words (unusual for me). It had something to do with getting off my lazy butt and doing something. I didn't know what that meant, only that it wasn't good.

Now I've got a word for it: complacency. I had become complacent. Life had settled into a pattern. I'd gotten comfortable. Some of the disciplines I'd developed had been neglected, and things were getting a little sloppy. I used to drink 8 glasses of water a day, and excercise 4 times a week. I used to spend some time reading the Bible most days. I used to make it a priority to spend some time hanging out with my kids and reading to them daily. One by one these things had fallen by the wayside. Hey, one more cookie, sure why not? And the cumulative effect was a sloppy, undisciplined life. I had lost sight of the goal, and had begun living for today.

So what is God teaching me?

PRESS ON. This is a race. There is a prize. Not everyone wins.

I have been called to maturity; I need to put away my childish self focus. I need grow-up, again.

So far here is a list of my disciplines of the faith:

-JUMP
-RUN

Maybe tomorrow will be skip.