I was recently reading an article by the strength coach for The North Carolina Tar Heels (stay with me here) regarding his core speed drill principles. There was a quote in the article that caused me to pause and ponder for a minute. So often I think we can draw comparisons between athletics and the faith journey. Paul did this often in scripture. There is such a parallel between training and “the race”. It really is amazing. Here is his quote:
Do what they did
“All kinds of people call and email to ask me for so-and-so’s workout. This happened a lot when I was at Kansas.
“People would call and ask, ‘Can you send me Kirk Hinrich’s workout?’
“And I’d be like, ‘You’re not Kirk Hinrich.’
“‘Well, what does he do?’
“‘You don’t understand. Where he started and what he did then are completely different from where he is now and what he does today.’
“Too many athletes want to rush things, thinking they should do what a top athlete does now. What they need to do is perform drills the athlete used in the beginning, when he was working on the basics. That’s what will help an athlete get to the top in the future.”
I found that interesting because I wonder if we don’t do the same with our faith. We look to elders, or veterans of the faith and try to do what they DO not what they DID. Each of us is on a faith journey which requires learning, sifting, refining and ultimately, growth. We’re not there yet. Matter of fact, we won’t be there until we reach heaven. Yet we must go about the business of training. We need to start our own program and build strength in our faith as we go.
This for me was a lesson in faith. I am challenged to not try to do the “workout” of those around me but to find a discipline that works for me. Not one of comfort, but one that challenges me to seek daily to grow in my faith, be refined in my nature and be the man that God calls me to be.
