Are You Trying or Training?
Like many parents, I worry about my children’s exposure to media content. I carefully monitor their online searches. I read reviews of movies and television shows before allowing them to view them. I try to read books before I pass them along to my young readers.
To keep unwholesome talk from their ears, I keep a Christian radio station on in our car. This station offers tidbits of biblical wisdom interposed between songs. I admit at times I find these messages too simplistic and not truly representative of the sacrifice required of a life following Jesus.
A recent message, however, caused me to meditate on the difference between trying and training. The on-air pastor encouraged the audience, saying that if they wanted to see lasting change in their lives, they needed to stop trying and start training.
As a marathoner, the difference between trying and training is exceedingly obvious to me. Anyone can try to run a marathon. All you need is a race bib and a pair of shoes. Chances are, though, that if you attempt to run a marathon just by trying and with no training, you’re going to greatly regret that decision. Even if you manage to finish the race, you may end with injuries lasting far longer than any sense of accomplishment and setting you back farther than when you started.
The benefits of training are apparent in the athletic realm. Training also has immense benefits in our spiritual lives. Spiritual practices can deepen our faith and draw us into closer relationship with Christ. So what does it look like to train in our spiritual lives? When we think of discipleship like a marathon, we can gain insight into how training can help us grow spiritually.
Training Requires a Plan
The biggest difference between trying and training is the plan. Trying can be done on a whim. Training takes forethought. When I began training for my October marathon, I followed a training schedule beginning with short runs in June. Each week I followed the prescribed program, slowly increasing my mileage.
Without a plan, I would be on my own trying to determine how far to run and when.
When adopting a new spiritual practice, it’s beneficial to have a plan. Do you want to add fasting as a practice? You could try to fast. Or you could develop a plan for when you will fast, how long the fast will last, and what the specifics of the fast will be.
Training Requires Tools
Marathoners use many tools to help them get to the finish line. Properly fitted shoes are essential. Hydration and nutrition supplements help you get to the end of the race without passing out. Depending on race weather, you made need a sun visor or Yaktrax to give you traction on icy roads.
What are the tools of your spiritual walk? A study Bible in a translation you can read easily can make daily reading more accessible and relevant as you learn about context and life in biblical times. A book of prayer can be useful in enriching your prayer life along with a journal to record personal prayers and how God answers them. In our tech-savvy society, developers have created tools we can use, including apps for centering prayer and podcasts of Bible translations. Curate your own tool kit with the tools that deepen your faith.
Training Takes Discipline
Last year, my Saturday mornings from June to October included rising early and running anywhere from three to twenty miles to prepare for race day. I took only one weekend off to rest a minor injury. I ran at high altitude on a vacation in Wyoming, in pouring rain, and in suffocating humidity. Many mornings I wanted to stay in my warm bed, snuggled up to my husband, but I knew if I skipped a week, my training would suffer, and so would my final race. So I dressed, tied my shoes, and hit the trail.
If you want to deepen your spiritual life, discipline is key. The author of Hebrews reminds us, “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:11 ESV).
Training Works Best in Community
What got me through my twenty-mile training run in blistering heat and humidity? What kept me going mile twenty-three to mile twenty-six of the marathon when my knees cried out in pain? My running team. I train with an amazing group of people committed to running long distance races to raise money for clean water. Whether we’re completing a short training run or finishing a full Iron Man, this community of runners with a purpose has become my family. We hold one another accountable, cheer one another on, and never leave a fellow runner behind.
Do you have friends in your life who can run alongside you in your goals for a deeper faith? Find your team and share your goals. Check in with one another often. Encourage one another when the road gets tough and commit to being there for one another. And, of course, we must always remember Jesus is our team captain, beside us each step of the journey.
Are you stuck trying to achieve goals in your spiritual life with little to no result? It’s time to stop trying and start training.
is a writer, slow marathoner, home educator and mediocre knitter. Her favorite things include books, kombucha, kitchen dancing, natural wellness, Jesus, and nachos. She spends days with her handsome hubby, three adorable kids, a flock of hens, a runaway peahen, wandering barn cat, and rescue dog. Lindsay shares ways to live simply and love extravagantly at www.lindsayhufford.com.
Photograph © Evstyle Photography, used with permission
