18th Mile
I’m a little tired, didn’t go for a run this morning because I’m tired and the fact that there is a lot of ice on the roads. I’m not really…
You Need To Push Harder
Christopher Wesley
Sep 4, 2011
My body is tired, but it should be more tired. I did a 10 miler yesterday in preparation for the Baltimore Half Marathon in October. During the run I found a comfortable pace and went with it. At the end of my run I checked how long it took me and I found a dissatisfaction with the results. After sitting with this feeling I realized that I didn’t push myself. While running 10 miles is a wonderful feat, I just didn’t want to deal with the pain of running a little harder. I enjoyed being comfortable.
With the thought of my run on my mind I also began to wonder, “
Am I too comfortable when it comes to ministry?” Because, if this is true I’m missing out on:
BIG CHANGE and AWESOME RESULTS
I’m a big fan of Jim Collin’s book
Good to Great, especially when it comes to the whole Fly Wheel Concept. The idea is all about building momentum in your industry (in my case ministry) until you get to the point of breakthrough. When this is reached each push of the fly wheel should become more and more effortless. However, being effortless in ministry should never be our goal. We should focus on efficiency (which is what Jim Collin’s is implying); but, in order to do that we need to push ourselves out of our comfort zone, we need to push harder.
Pushing harder doesn’t mean working harder, it means allowing God’s Grace to work through us and it means following His lead even when the risks seems daunting.
So, to push harder and to become efficient we need to be:
- Immersing Ourselves in Scripture – God’s wisdom is where your path lies. Sometimes we read scripture like it’s a fictional story. When we immerse ourselves in His Word we find that God is showing us our next step.
- Engaging In Deep Conversations – Allow others to reveal something about you, that you might not have already known. It might not be another Christian, but someone who’s story inspires you to look inside. Building relationships means building character that we can’t form on our own.
- Ridding Ourselves Of Waste – Instead of focusing on doing more, think about doing less. As someone who’s lost a lot of weight, I’ve found running 26.2 miles is so much easier 40 pounds lighter. Look at the areas in your life that hold you back from taking that next step.
If we can follow God by focusing on these three actions, then we can allow God to take us to new heights. Take some time this week to name those areas you need to push harder, so that you can make sure you are never stuck in a comfort zone.
Where do you need to push harder?