In my college days I got to read a great book about the difference between training and trying.
It’s called The Life You’ve Always Wanted.
But the subtitle is the best part: Spiritual Disciplines for Ordinary People.
Of course, there are no other people but ordinary ones. Fortunately God can use our imperfect selves.
The author likened the difference in training and trying to running a marathon. Imagine you are sitting on your couch and the Olympic committee knocks on your door and tells you you’ve been selected to run a marathon for your country. You get super excited and then realize: You can’t run a marathon. Even if you tried really, really hard.
The only way to run a marathon is to train for one.
Spiritual disciplines are how to train. The author, John Ortberg, defines a spiritual discipline as “any activity that can help me gain power to live life as Jesus taught and modeled it.” (pg. 52) And the goal – a disciple of Jesus – is “someone who can do the right thing at the right time in the right way with the right spirit.” (pg. 54)
Just typing that is ridiculously convicting.
I love, love, love the author makes sure to say these are not just a few activities done at special times of the day. Rather, every moment of our lives is “an opportunity to learn from God how to live like Jesus, how to live in the kingdom of God.” (pg. 24)
Okay, now you. Ever thought of the difference between training and trying? Struggle, like me, to want to try really hard? Do you think of every moment of your life as a chance to train?
I really want to know.