When race season winds down between November and January, I’ll usually take a break on training. However, once the holidays are over, I’m eager to get back on a good plan and see what’s possible in the new year. It’s tempting to go out and start up where I left off but over the yrs, I’ve found this only produces pain and an injury or two. Wanting to get back to where I was before is very motivating but I need to remember to back off and give my body time to catch up. Gotta be patient.
But getting patience before you damage stuff is key. When you stop working out, you become weaker and I’ve found that the same general thing happens on a spiritual level in specific areas like patience. We homeschool our kids and, during the school year, I memorize verses on patience. As we go through our school day, the verses are remembered (recited, pleaded, prayed) and I do better and we’re all happier. Because “When momma ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy” is real. Then along comes a summer or winter break and we relax. When I head back into the school year thinking I’m good on patience because I really worked on it weeks or months ago, it’s not long before I lose any cool I might have had and consider giving a kid to the next school bus that passes by. When I’m not using patience, I lose it.
Like building up strength and endurance for an advanced workout plan, when I head into a new school year or any new challenge, I need to pray specifically and build up weak areas with strong verses. Much like a lack of training can be the root of running injuries, we injure others when responding to them in less-than-lovely ways. But thankfully, God will always help when we want to grow and train with His Word.
Proverbs 16:32
He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, And he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city.
Happy and Patient Running!
