The Pressure's Off

I was in the middle of my Saturday long distance run this morning and happened across the starting line of The Spirit of Gettysburg 5K race. There were close to 1,000 people gathered just a few minutes before race time, and knowing the course ran through the scenic and historical battlefields, I decided to slip in and run. Note I didn't say "race". I was very intentional about backing off the pace and enjoying the 3.1 mile loop. It was the first time in my entire 30+ years of racing that I joined a race with no number, no goal time, no expectations, and no pressure. And it was fun! I talked to and encouraged people along the way, took in the monuments, and avoided the painful lactic acid burn which normally accompanies a 5K. Afterwards, I completed a few more miles at an easy pace, and thought back over the years of pressured racing - enjoyable times for sure, but always bearing the burden and weighed down with the expectations of a certain finishing time. If the time wasn't met, I was upset. It didn't matter that I finished, the sense of accomplishment went out the window if I failed to hit my goal pace. Today I felt none of the pressure or weight, I simply enjoyed the event.

That same weight and pressure is carried by so many people as they live out life, trying to meet societal standards and the expectations of others. Every day it's about proving oneself worthy, judged and measured by the jobs we hold, the cars we drive, and the watch or the clothes we wear. The beautiful thing about having a faith and a relationship with God is that I now fully realize that my worthiness was established a long time ago, that I am not measured by material things, but by the depth and capacity of my heart. The pressure is off. There is no goal or pace to hit - oh there is a finish line, but we'll all get there someday and I've learned that the key is to enjoy the course along the way - to take in the sights, to encourage others on their respective journeys, and to be someone who in the end is known and remembered for far more than what he had and what he accomplished. It'll be about who I was. The standard's been set, the price has been paid, the pressure is off, and we have been deemed worthy. We simply need to BELIEVE.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" -  Phil 4:6-7 NIV


  
            

 
    

Lessons from Louie

I've been through a lot in my life. And then I went through this year's Boston Marathon. While I finished an hour before the blasts which tragically rocked a city, a nation, and a world, I found myself experiencing a range of emotions from the point I learned of the attacks until the second suspect was captured four days later. Shock. Sadness. Despair. Anger. Regret. Guilt. Relief. Peace. And while I was not physically impacted, I way underestimated the emotional toll Boston would take on me. Depression had parked itself in my soul. I know this is hard to believe, but I even found myself not wanting to run - the one "escape" I had gone to over the years to cope, my "therapy" became a reminder of what had gone terribly wrong just a few days earlier. Instead of basking in the glow of my 15th Boston finish, I was struggling to find purpose, passion and reason to move forward with life as I once knew it. 

And then, as I added a few new books to my work library, I came across Laura Hillenbrand's "Unbroken" which I had read two years earlier and recalled meeting the man about whom the book was written. I met Louie Zamperini at Rev. Billy Graham's home in Montreat, NC; the book chronicals his incredible story of perseverance in the face of overwhelming odds and the brutally sadistic treatment by his Japanese captors during WW II. He told me that day that the key to survival and not being "broken" by his circumstances was the hope he held on to which displaced any fear, the dignity he maintained which kept his soul alive, and the conviction in his heart that everything happened for a reason - that in the end, it would all eventually come to good. Out of despair, out of tragedy, out of evil, out of hatred, eventually these things prevail: Hope. Dignity. Conviction. and Love. Louie had reminded me that day that just as with the death of Jesus Christ on the cross, my experience did not end that Monday with the death and despair at the finish line. The story was not complete. And while I couldn't change what had happened or what I had been through, I could change my outlook and my perspective moving forward. I could once again be the light that people were seeking in a dark world. I needed to be the light that people were seeking in a dark world. I needed to simply trust, and to Believe that death once again did not and would not have the final say.    

"I have told you these things so that you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart. I have overcome the world" - John 16:33

On Finding Yourself Back Where You Started

Tomorrow I run Boston. Anyone who has run it knows the course well. It's a straight route north from Hopkinton to Ashland through Wellesley up the hills of Natick down into Brookline and finishing on Boylston Street in downtown Boston. Not only has the course remained the same, but there are thousands of people running it with me and millions of people lining the race route and race officials, police, EMT, and volunteers there to be sure you know where you're going. There's no guessing. I can put all of my effort and energy into running the race and getting to the finish line. I have run races where the course isn't mapped or marked well - trust me when I say that there is nothing more frustrating in a race than getting lost and finding yourself back at the same point where you got lost, energy expended but not one step closer to the finish.    

Dr. Jan Souman of the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics has actually studied what humans do when we have no road map, no clue about where we're going...simply put, when we're lost. He's researched what happens to folks when they find themselves in the woods, out to sea, or in the desert without a compass or navigation tools. His findings? We go in circles. Literally. Our instincts fail us. Without a guiding light or a True North to follow, we keep ending up at the starting point where we got lost. All of the effort and energy we put in is literally wasted. Even if you have never been lost, you inherently know that effort and energy are finite resources - they eventually run out.

Do you have a course map for your life? Do you have a Way, or do you find yourself ending up in the same place you started, having wasted valuable effort and energy only to have repeated the same failures and disappointments, still feeling incredibly lost and empty? Our time here on this earth is finite. Time lost going in circles is time we won't get back. The clock keeps running. When you know where you're going, when you have direction and guidance and a clear vision of where it is you're headed, none of the effort and energy you expend is wasted. Every step is a step forward, a step closer to the finish. I'm not saying it'll be easy. Just as I will experience tomorrow, while the course map remains established and known, I will still feel pain and experience suffering. But I can rest in the assurance that even the difficult, painful steps along the way are serving a purpose of getting me that much closer to the finish. And oh what a finish it will be! Believe.    

John 14:6 "And Jesus answered, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life"




   

    

On Being a Man

I was honored to be asked by Jon Gordon to write a one-page letter to his son Cole, upon his 13th birthday this month, regarding what it means to be a man. My message follows....

Being a Man is about being love. If love is the single greatest commandment, and Christ is Love, then the qualities and characteristics described in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 best describe how we as men should be. Not just act. Anyone can “act”. Being is a core-thing. Acting is a surface-thing. Surface stuff never holds when the storms of life hit. So at the core, being a man is about patience. It’s about knowing very often our timing won’t be God’s timing. That our prayers will always be answered, but not necessarily when or the way we want them.  Because God knows what we need, despite our insistence upon having what it is we want. Being a man is about checking your ego at the door, setting pride aside. Remembering what Phil 4:13 tells us – that it is through Christ, and not our own efforts, that we can do all things. It’s about giving Him the glory in both victory and defeat. You can tell more about a man in defeat than victory. Never forget that people will watch to see how you handle loss, and that in loss you will have an opportunity to demonstrate true faith and character.  A man is never jealous. A man is more focused upon what he has, as opposed to what he doesn’t have. He considers what he has both a blessing and a responsibility. A man realizes that to whom much is given, much is expected. A man never sacrifices or compromises the gifts he has been given.  A man maximizes these gifts to and for the benefit of others. He looks outward instead of inward, because he recognizes that it’s not about him. A man is not rude. A man understands that from a woman’s perspective, there is no greater compliment than to be called a gentleman - open doors, send flowers, be respectful, be polite, be kind. And smile. Realize and recognize that there is no such thing as anyone less or more important than you. Treat everyone you meet with the same dignity.  Be self-less. A man sets aside his own desires and needs for others but also recognizes the importance of investing in himself so that there is more of him for others. A man learns from his past but doesn’t stay there – he allows his experiences to refine him, but not define him. A man knows that God is in the recycling business and will use his pain for other’s gain. A man chooses his attitude. Daily. He recognizes that his attitude is a conscious choice, that he has an opportunity to impact others by being a light in what can often feel like a very dark world. A man seeks the truth in all things, and speaks and acts when he sees injustice. He understands that being a man is about responsibility and accountability. Both require doing. Finally, a man never ever gives up. He may give in when the situation requires, but he never gives up. He always keeps the faith, perseveres, and endures because he never forgets the promise of how it will all end.                 

Dare to Prepare

In October of 1911, two teams set out in a quest to become the first expedition to reach the South Pole. For one team, it would be a race to victory and a safe return home. For the second team, it would be a devastating defeat, reaching the pole only to find a wind-whipped flag of their rival planted 34 days earlier. All five members of that second team perished - from exhaustion, frostbite, and freezing to death as they wrote the very last words they would write to loved ones back home. Two teams, two different outcomes....both believed, but only one achieved. Why? Because simply believing is never enough. And yes, it's not lost on me that I'm the BELIEVE guy, but I can tell you from personal experience that believing is just the first step. While it's gotta be in place, you can't fly solo with it. In three weeks I run Boston. I believe I can run the 26.2 miles, but if I don't prepare (work my butt off), race day could be a miserable experience.

Norwegian Ronald Amundsen led the successful team's 1400 mile journey. He did it 20 miles a day, every day, with consistency regardless of the weather conditions. To prepare, he biked 2000 miles from Norway to Spain. He experimented with eating raw dolphin meat as a source to energy should he get shipwrecked en route. He spent time with Eskimos in advance to adopt their cold-weather survival techniques and see how they used dogs for sled pulling. He gathered 3 tons of food for 5 men. When asked why the depth of intentional preparation, Amundsen said

"You don't wait until you're in an unexpected storm to discover that you need more strength and endurance. You prepare with intensity, all the time, so that when conditions turn against you, you can draw from a deep reservoir of strength"

England's Robert Falcon Scott chose not to train his body in advance. He chose ponies over dogs to pull supplies, never having taken the time to study the Eskimos. He brought one ton of food for 17 men. He left no markings for his return back from the pole, which ultimately doomed him. Perhaps most importantly, he picked and chose which days his team would hike. When the weather was poor, they stayed in their tents. And consumed the food they eventually would run out of. The ponies proved a poor choice to pull supplies in the conditions they would face, and all would die before Scott's team succumbed to the elements and hunger. Scott's journal entries prior to his death typically said

"Our bad luck continues, another terrible day"

Believing is a must. But it's nothing without the will to prepare. Dues must be paid, sacrifices made. Anything worth achieving comes at a cost, and most of the preparation is the non-glamorous behind-the-scenes stuff that nobody really enjoys doing, but without which outcomes aren't possible. You can have all the faith in the world, but without the action, you'll be dead in the water. Or stranded at the South Pole. Are your preparing? Will you be ready? For in life, it's not matter of if, but when, a storm will hit.

Believe. Prepare. Achieve.      
 
"In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead". - James 2:17



 


      

Worth the Effort

I recently blogged about finally coming to terms with the truth on New Years Day, admitting that I had allowed myself to become complacent after a pretty brutal racing schedule last year. I had backed off the workouts, decided I could get away with eating and drinking anything I desired, and I was far less intentional about living a healthy lifestyle. I figured I deserved it, my logic followed that I had earned the "vacation" from self-discipline and adherence to a strict training regime because of the year that I had experienced. So many accomplishments and personal goals achieved, it was time to relax and rest on my laurels for a bit. But there had been a price paid, I had quietly put on 15 unwanted pounds, I wasn't sleeping through the night, my body ached pretty much constantly, and I found myself struggling some days just to get through to the end.

Fast forward two months. With stricter adherence to a more healthy diet, a more intentional approach to my workouts, cutting out beer during weekdays, more focus on a good nights sleep, and the encouragement of friends who are on a similar journey, I've lost the 15 pounds. I feel better than I have in ten years. My runs are remarkably faster now that I'm carrying less weight. My body no longer aches. I'm sleeping better, through the night. I have far more energy and focus at work. The only downside is that I may need to go clothes shopping for new pants :)

Intuitively, I knew these things were outcomes and benefits associated with getting back on track. For me, it just took some fine-tuning. It wasn't easy, but it's so rewarding. I'm not going back there - the weight is staying off, because it simply feels good to be where I am today. The drift that occurred was slow - it didn't happen overnight, but over time. Getting it back didn't happen overnight either, but it did happen one day at a time, one decision at a time, one better choice at a time.

Our drift from a relationship with God happens much the same way. It's not an overnight thing, but a slow fade. Pretty soon it's like we're out in the middle of the ocean and we can longer see land. We've packed on the excess weight and baggage of life, and we're paying a price. We're feeling the stress and pressure brought on by a series of poor choices associated with daily compromises and a lack of self-discipline that has little to do with physical pursuits and more to do with our lack of judgement and the rationalization of behavior. We figure that much like "deserving" that extra helping or dessert, we deserve certain indulgences of life even if deep down we know they're not good for us. Because we've moved so far away from the Truth, our judgement is compromised.

But once we've decided to be intentional about getting back on track, everything else seems to fall into place. Decisions seem to be made with far more clarity. Our judgement is no longer swayed by public opinion but through discernment and prayer. Our relationships are deeper and more meaningful as our focus becomes less about ourselves and more about others. We worry less because our lives are no longer burdened by the cares associated with our former lifestyle, with the burdens and excesses we've left behind.

Intentionally living God's purpose for our lives requires effort. There's really no such thing as "time-off" - each day, each decision matters. We must practice self-discipline and restraint. We must allow His word to guide our decisions. Daily. It's not always easy, but it's always worth it. Believe.     

"For God did not give us a spirit of timidity but of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control" 2 Tim 1:7
  

        

When you find the Way it changes your Why

I'm training for my 15th Boston Marathon, and after all of these years at it, I can say that I still enjoy the process. It's not the race itself so much - I know the course like the back of my hand, I get that "been there, done that" feeling when I'm standing at the starting line, and it's still an incredibly painful proposition especially as I advance in age :) to push myself 26.2 miles up and down the hills of greater Boston across the finish line on Boylston. What I enjoy most is the journey, the three-month build up as I put in the long training runs and drop the weight, the daily routine of rising out of bed and lacing up the running shoes with Purpose and the Vision of crossing that finish line on April 15th. You see, when I've got a race like Boston out in front of me, it changes who I am, what I'm doing, and why I'm doing it. Having a "Why" gets you out of bed in the morning. It's far harder to stay under the warmth of my down comforter on a cold, dark morning when you have a Why like Boston. Why get up and get out? Because I want to be my best on race morning. I want to know in my heart that I've done everything possible to prepare, no excuses, no regrets, no compromise. I know as well that God has gifted me with the physical talent and the mental tenacity to run, and run well - and I will not sacrifice that gift. Each morning I arise with a smile on my face and joy in my heart knowing that I get to do this. Running Boston is an honor, something many can only dream about doing.  

When you come to know the Lord and have a personal relationship with Him, it changes your Why in much the same way. You wake up each day with greater clarity of Purpose and a Vision of the end game, the ultimate finish line. When I came to Christ, it literally changed who I was and how I conducted myself each day. My priorities changed, much like adding the discipline of running miles and miles as I prepare for a marathon, I began intentionally spending time in the Word and trying to be His light to a world in need of His message of hope, love, acceptance, and grace. As with the preparation for an impending marathon, I began to look at my time and the hours in the day in a much different way. My attitude and outlook on life changed dramatically as I began to see who I could be - not for me, but for others. Truthfully, from that day forward, I no longer needed an alarm clock to get up each day. I awake with passion, energy, and enthusiasm for everything that God would have in store for me as the day unfolds. I look forward to the journey now, even more so than the finish line. I enjoy the process of personal refinement and I know that He is preparing me for the race set before me, a race far more important than the prestigious Boston Marathon. BELIEVE.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us." -Hebrews 12:1