Lent Day 16

Wow, Day 16, they say time flies when you’re having fun.  This morning Christy and I both weighed ourselves and felt a little bit of excitement as we can see the pounds coming off.  Nothing is more encouraging than seeing the results of your hard work.  I want more.  I want to constantly do better. 

If someone had told me a month ago that I could see this much improvement this fast, I would have said they were crazy.  Of course, that is because I would have never put this much dedication into it.

Christy went jogging this morning on the path that I had mowed for her around the property.  It is exactly a quarter mile; we measured it with a wheel.  She was so invigorated by her own success that she got in an extra lap within her allotted 30 minutes.  Tonight, I decided I would do Christy’s path.  I figured I have been doing about 10 to 12 minute miles, so this should be easy going in circles around the yard.  I was wrong!  This is rough terrain!  It is mostly grass, leaves, and sticks with nothing level.  There are steep hills and dirt mounds and all kinds of obstacles.  There are multiple spots where the dogs have dug small trenches just big enough to twist your ankle off.  Surely Monte and Molly are digging in an attempt to catch the moles, but if you ask me I think they are making an obstacle course to prepare me for the hike in the AT.

Knowing the exact distance of each lap leads to a different problem.  I find myself setting distance goals rather than time goals.  When running for a length of time, I tend to pace myself into a steady rhythm.  This builds endurance.  When running for a distance goal, I tend to speed up and run to get to the goal.  This builds up speed.  I did a lot more sprinting tonight than normal, yet I only did 8 laps (2 miles) in 30 minutes.  That is a full mile less than what I have been doing for over a week now.  I found out running up those steep hills is not at all like running on a flat hard dirt road.  Kudos to Christy.  Anyone who is walking, jogging, or running on unlevel ground in your yard, do not get discouraged.  This is much harder.

Speaking of setting measurement goals of time or distance, how do I measure up in my relationship with God?  I know that I am doing better in the past two weeks, but how do I measure that.  I suppose I could grade myself . . . “Ben, you have earned 16 bonus points to use toward heaven . . .” No, that doesn’t feel quite right.  I know that I have felt more joy, peace, and general happiness in the past two weeks than I have in a while.  I have been able to turn over problems to God without worrying any longer.  I know that I feel good emotionally and spiritually.  I feel, for the first time in my life, that I may be able to represent myself as a Christian publicly and witness in this manner.  Whatever the measurement, I know one thing for sure:  I want more.  I want to constantly do better.