A renewed passion

I saw my 19 year old son today. He has been in Georgia for the past week or so...visiting his mother and other relatives...getting prepared to leave for Marine Corps recruit training very soon. It absolutely blows me away when I look at him and realize what he is on the verge of doing. I was talking to him...the usual father-son advice conversation. I was telling him that he needed to be consistent in his physical training preparation so that he will have one less thing to worry about when he gets to Parris Island, SC. As I was sharing with him I was struck by the fact that I suddenly felt so very old. I mean...I used to be the one my sons looked to when they wanted to see a strong, virile, able bodied man...I used to be the one that set the physical fitness example for them...now, here I was...8 years retired and I was telling my middle son that I wished I could get out and run with him. As the thought hit me I was (and still am) immediately humbled. It was at this point that I made a vow to my son...I promised him that when he comes home from boot camp after his graduation I would run with him. I guess watching him go through all of this preparation, getting a new glimpse made me long to get closer to him...what better way than to run along side of him.

Ain't it funny how our earthly life sometimes parallels our spiritual life? Often times during our walk with Christ we get out of shape spiritually. We slow down in our exercising (reading scripture, prayer time, fellowship, worship) or in some cases we stop altogether. But we, just like any young man or woman getting ready for boot camp, must be consistent in our training. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 says, "Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. 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." How much more important is our spiritual training? We are called to be in spiritual shape so we can help others. Do we hit the spiritual gym with gusto? Or do we fall back into bad habits and become spiritual couch potatoes?
But then something wonderful happens...God loves us so much that he gives us a glimpse of His glory...His magnificence...and that vision serves to reignite the fire in our own soul and makes us long to get back into shape so that we may run along side of our master.
So, today, right now I sit here with a renewed passion for fitness...I have a renewed longing to get back into shape...physically...for my son...and spiritually...for the love of my Father....care to run with me?