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“Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with a purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.” 1 Corinithians 9:24-27 NLT
A huge part of my life today involves doing things that generate energy (i.e. eat right, sleep right, and exercise) because the more energy I have the better chance I have in effectively taking on the challenges of the day and accomplishing my goals as well as God’s. Â
Several years ago I started competing in triathlons as I knew if I had something I was working towards I would be more disciplined in my eating, sleeping and excercising habits. Competing in triathlons gives me the opportunity to stretch my body to limits I once never thought imaginable and it also gives me a natural peace to my mental state which is always needed. Triathlons involve swimming, biking and running total distances of anywhere from 16 to 140 miles…dependent on how crazy you are :).Â
A couple of Sundays ago, I had the opportunity to spend my Father’s Day with my oldest son in Washington D.C. competing in the inaugural D.C. Triathlon.  I must admit we were both a little nervous about the swim as it involved swimming in the Potomac River. We both had experience in swimming in lakes and pools but never a huge body of water with only two boundaries and an undercurrent like the Potomac, plus the swim started at 5:30am. The good news is there were 3500 other “crazies” in their swim gear at 5:30am getting ready to do the same thing.
It all came down to trusting our abilities to swim because once in the water there was no turning back and yes my son and I had decided before the race that it was “game on” and “may the best triathlete win.”  Prior to the race we were reminiscing about the many times we had competed against each other in the past. I used to crush him in Candy Land but then he got revenge in Memory (I had an excuse because the drugs had burned my memory) and we both chuckled as we recalled the many epic one on one basketball battles in our backyard.
Walking the Christian walk is quite similar to competing as an athlete as Paul so eloquently states in first Corinthians. It takes discipline (the bridge between goals and accomplishment-Jim Rohn) in order to train our body and mind to do what it takes in order to be prepared to do what God wants us to do and in turn have “purpose in every step.”
Discplining ourselves as Christians involves the daily routine practice of scripture reading, constant contact with God through prayer and meditation, interaction with accountability partners, weekly worship and opening our hands to others…to name a few. Eventually this practice develops into a habit and then when we are faced with a tough decision of whether or not we will continue to “swim” or turn back, we will trust our instincts (i.e. the Holy Spirit) and continue on and do what we’ve trained ourselves to do. A true Christian walk means there is no turning back as our daily disciplines and faith keep propelling us forward.
Although we had some fear going on as we looked at the Potomac while the sun was beginning to rise over the Washington Monument, we trusted our instincts that told us we had trained and prepared ourselves well enough to take on the battle; and that we did. Â
Even though I was battling age and my son was battling dehydration, we finished the race strong. As you can tell by the pictures we finished together. Which simply means we both know today there is a bigger and better race we are running which involves an eternal prize. What a great father’s day gift. Thank you God and thank you Jason.
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P.E.A.C.E.
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