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I am a runner. Well, to be honest, I want to be a runner. I have completed one full marathon and two half marathons. I have somewhat of a love/hate relationship with running.
I hate it while I am doing it and I love it when I am done. The one thing I like about running is the culture and community it creates. You can show up for a race with a few people or a few thousand people and, regardless of the size of the race, have the same goal as everyone else: to cross the finish line.
In March of 2012, I ran my first and last full marathon on the same day. It was a great—yet painful—experience. As I ran the 26.2 miles, I learned a life lesson. Marathons are not run in miles, they are run in steps. What every person in the race had in common was they had to take the race one step at a time. They had to put one foot in front of the other 55,000 times. I knew that every small step I took brought me closer to the big goal of crossing the finish line.
As we begin the New Year, we will inevitably face things that seem insurmountable, some planned and some unplanned. There will be victories to win and mountains to be climb. In all these things, the same principle that applies to running applies to our lives in 2022 …
Just take the next step.
One of my mentors who is now with the Lord, Rod Masteller, used to tell me, “It’s not in the day-to-day, it’s in the daily.” As a young man, I never fully understood that statement. However, the longer I walk with the Lord and serve the Lord, I have experienced exactly what he meant. The most satisfying things in life are not found in the day-to-day experiences, but rather in the daily habit of walking with the Lord.
It is my commitment as I grow in the Lord and as I begin this new year to make sure my priorities are intact. If I am not diligent about this, the busyness of ministry can cause me to outrun my walk with the Lord.
As we look to the New Year, may I suggest one simple thing to you? Don’t outrun your walk. Simply put, life and ministry can get incredibly busy and demanding. There are things that come up that consume your days and nights. There are challenges that can drain every ounce of energy from you. If we are not careful, those same things can distract you from the daily routine of walking with Jesus.
I honestly can’t count how many times I have let the day-to-day keep me from the daily. It is my commitment as I grow in the Lord and as I begin this new year to make sure my priorities are intact. If I am not diligent about this, the busyness of ministry can cause me to outrun my walk with the Lord. If I am not careful, I can let the challenges that come into my life be given an urgency that the situation doesn’t truly deserve. In doing this, I shift all my attention to good things rather than the greatest things.
So, as we begin 2022, I again encourage you, don’t outrun your walk. Take the small steps every day to grow in the Lord and to sit in his presence. Take the steps each day to fervently pray to the Lord and meditate on his words. Take the steps every day to find someone to share the gospel with. One step in front of the other. If we do this together, I believe we will see a powerful movement of God in our lives, churches, cities, and across Texas!
I am praying and believing 2022 will be a great year! I love you and I am honored to serve you!
