Staying Power

Hey guys,

Thank you so much for all of the likes, comments, and new subscriptions this year. It really has meant a lot. I know bloggers get a bad rap and are the butt of a lot of jokes but I stand behind Mirror Time and I’m grateful so many of you stand behind me too. Blogging can get “me-centered” if we let it but it’s awesome to support each other and help lift each other up. (stepping down off of soapbox)

Ever notice how easy it is to simply avoid an uncomfortable situation rather than confront the conflict? That is a lesson that we are seeing play out big time lately. 

Baseball was always my first love but in the neighborhood I grew up in, it was rarely encouraged. In my teens and young adult years, I fancied myself a pretty good basketball player. I was always thrust into the role of the power forward, (or the 4 position) even though I was 5’10”. I was really quick, strong in the paint, and had an excellent jump shot (contested or uncontested). Unlike my peers in Brooklyn and on Staten Island, I had no dreams of the NBA. I lacked the passion for that. No matter how strong I started off a five on five, stamina was my undoing. Late into games, it would adversely affect my shooting, my defense, everything. I ran track and field for years and spent many hours in the gym daily but my cardio work was minimal to say the least. I would grudgingly embrace leg day but didn’t care for the treadmill, jogging, or the stationery bike.

Collectively, we are becoming a generation that want results without the efforts, the glory without the sacrifice. This is our burden. We want to be the strongest, the fastest, the smartest and the best while ignoring the necessary intangibles. Do we teach determination the same way we teach dominance? Do we encourage perseverance and patience over perfectionism? The tortoise and the hare reference comes to mind. It really doesn’t matter how fast you start out of the box and how far you are ahead of your opponent but it matters how you finish the race. Knowing what you’re running the race for doesn’t hurt either.

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.” (I Corinthians 9:24-25 NIV)

There is a rarely used proverb that is applicable here. ““Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards are in bloom.” The little foxes are the little  areas that pose a threat, obstacles, or dangers to our success. We do ourselves a disservice by avoiding or running away from the wall we need to get over to get to our breakthrough. We just need to address our stamina in our quest to do accomplish this.