Olympic Training

In the overall quest for contentment, I have come to a time of waiting on the Lord; and in that discipline, I'm not a champion yet—but oh, how I've been training!  I remember the night I got saved, when I returned home to tell my parents (shocked and pleased), my father took me aside and proceeded to explain to me the fruits of the Holy Spirit that were now mine.

When he mentioned long-suffering, I got scared and wanted to reconsider this commitment I'd just made.  It felt like I had opened the door (unwittingly) to a horrific future of taking care of lepers or banishment to the jungles of the dark continent.  Let's just say that when I talk about Galatians 5, I use the more modern interpretation which says patience.

 patient |ˈpā sh ənt|
adjectiveable to wait without becoming annoyed or anxious : be patient, your time will come.• slow to lose one's temper with irritating people or situations : he was always kindly, patient, and considerate.ORIGIN Middle English : from Old French, from Latin patient-‘suffering,’ from the verb pati.
It is not my nature to be patient, conversely, it is God's nature.  That is why we need the Holy Spirit, because not even the best of us is patient enough.  If we could do, be, have these things, we would not need Him.

We are approaching the Olympics Season when we will be introduced to young competitors who have honed their particular skills to perfection, by laying aside every encumbrance that has the power to distract them from their pursuit of the gold.

How I wish I could be that myopic;  having a singular focus, where if anything that comes along doesn't contribute to the vision, it is cast aside.  But alas, I haven't the luxury or the opportunity to hire a coach or spend every waking hour training for the big moment when I either underperform or supersede the expectations of my coach and everyone else who is watching.  Yikes... the pressure!

Now God is reminding me that He has provided me with the Holy Spirit, a coach who will never belittle me or condemn me when I fail.  In fact, that voice is the very one that whispers love and encouragement even when I feel like a loser.  I said something I shouldn't have this morning and I spent a few hours regretting it and feeling sad.  As soon as I opened my bible (should've done it sooner) the burden of shame was lifted and I was able to lift my head again because of the words I read.

You and I might not be Olympic material, but we are nevertheless being cheered on by the crowd:

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up.  And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.  We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion..." (Hebrews 12:1, 2)

Remember that with patience, God may be divinely disciplining us, and that no one enjoys discipline while it is happening.  Yet discipline speaks of the love a parent has for his child.  Be patient and trust Him.