It has been a full day, Father, yet here I am. I wanted to begin this earlier in the day, but I allowed other things to crowd our time out. May our time together be full and Your word sustaining. Amen.
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Yesterday on my morning walk I saw wedge of geese flew overhead and it got me to thinking. Many Canada geese migrate to warmer climes in the fall. One source (American Expedition) shared the following tidbits of information.
Canada geese fly at an average speed of about 40 miles per hour when migrating but may increase their speed to 70 miles per hour if they catch a strong tailwind. Migrations can be as long as 2,000 to 3,000 miles, and the geese are capable of flying up to 1,500 miles in a single day if the weather is good.
It’s awesome to realize that their Creator-God gave them what it takes to go the distance! And what is even more awesome is that he gave us the same gift!
Some days we are hard-pressed to acknowledge that we, too, can go the distance!
In an attempt to take care of myself, I have been making time in my morning routine for a 30-minute brisk walk – quite often it is on the school’s track. That is where the geese flew over yesterday. The nice thing about the track is that it is level and clear which helps me maintain a consistent speed.
I missed my walk Monday in that a couple of errands needed taken care of, so I added about 10 minutes to yesterday’s walk. I find that it takes me about 5 minutes to make one loop. I set the Google Fit on my phone to track my steps, etc. but I enjoy walking each lap in one of the eight lanes on the track. Normally, I walk 6 laps but because I wanted to add more time, I walked all eight.
I admit I am out of shape and I had to push myself on the last two laps to maintain roughly the same speed. And boy was I feeling it in my legs. (You in-shape people are probably chuckling, but I do what I can do!)
Oft times in life going the distance can be a challenge. How many times have we wanted to throw in the towel and give up? And then how many times have we stuck it out and been so grateful that we did?
The Apostle Paul encouraged young Timothy by saying to him,
Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have declared so well before many witnesses. 1 Timothy 6:12 NLT
To my knowledge, I have no spectators of my efforts on the track, minimal though they may be, but for a good part of life, that is not the case. I am acutely aware that my efforts each and every day are being keenly observed by those around me. Some people pay absolutely no attention to anything I do…but some watch my reactions and listen to my words. My prayer is that I am true to my word and that my words and actions reflect the Savior to whom I have dedicated my life.
I pray that I have not misled anyone, that I have not been such a poor reflection on Jesus that it has caused people to turn away from Him. We can proclaim our association with Him all we want, but if we don’t live it out in the nitty-gritty of life, we have failed. May we all, as followers of Christ, be determined to go the distance, whatever it takes. Amen.
Oct 28th, 2020, Wed, 7:52 pm
