an exercise in endurance and perseverance

not been feeling great the last couple days.

well, tonight, i went for a short walk to wal-madness, and while there i started feeling considerably worse.... and tho i'd been offered a ride home by a friend i ran into there, i must have missed her by a little bit. so i had to walk. feeling so woozy, the walk home was especially challenging.

it must have taken three times as long as it usually would.... each step was having to be very deliberate, one more step, one more step, one more step. i felt woozy, but i knew if i felt like i was going to pass out or something i could call someone on my cell, so i just kept going. i kept thinking, 'endurance! endurance! endurance!', lol....

one step, one step, one step. it was like i was slogging up a steep hill and was maxed out, but i was on level ground. i was, however, blessed with a fabulous view - to the southeast the sky was blue with 'simpsonesque' clouds, of the sort you see in the intro to the simpsons show. to the west was a sky full of dark mysterious clouds, a heavy grey mist low in the mountains, and great heaps of sooty puff balls in the sky.

and God's grace was with me. the first raindrop i felt was just as i was turning in to my driveway. when i got upstairs and next looked out the window, it was pouring rain. fabulous.

With Purpose in Every Step

Remember that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize. You also must run in such a way that you will win. All athletes practice strict self-control. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run straight to the goal with purpose in every step. I am not like a boxer who misses his punches. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified. (1 Corinthians 9:24-27, NLT)

the image i see when i read this is not one of a runner (or walker, lol) looking at all the others who are running, and trying to run better than them....(and then tripping over their own feet, or a stick, or stepping in doggie doo, lol).... i see one who focuses on their steps, their pacing, and their personal best. i don't mean an, 'oh yeah yeah personal best whatever' kind of mentality - i mean really striving to achieve their goal, run their hardest, and do their very personal very best. seeking in their hearts the genuine fixing of their eyes on the prize.... setting their eyes on the author and finisher of their faith, and taking it step by step.... with purpose in every step.

think about it - purpose in *every* step. "oh yeah, sure, i don't need to think about each step i take when i walk to walmart, ha!" ...but that's what it say. each step is about landing securely not slipping, not stepping on a chewing gum landmine, not stepping in a pothole and breaking an ankle. i think the exhortation is to be aware of every step - your own step, not your brothers or sisters (ie no comparison or judging or 'jonesesing') - and be aware of God's purposes in it.

on my journey to the great walmart in the sky (haha), my competitors in the race are not my brothers and sisters, it is the enemy of my soul, and every principality and power with their tricks and tactics to try to make me give up or fail.... to avoid that, i have to focus on each step--every step i take has to land securely on solid ground, on Christ; i need to avoid slip-ups and temptations, avoid sticky situations and pitfalls, and stay on the course without being 'disqualified' for failure, injury, or falling flat on my face in the miry clay... again.

each step.... having purpose. and taking each step with purpose.... and walkin' the walk with purpose... in every step.

cool.