Moving Forward

Greetings Faithful Readers,

"We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." - Walt Disney

I love this quote from Walt. It absolutely defines who he was as a man..always pushing the envelope...challenging himself to go beyond the obvious stopping points of life.

Yesterday in staff meeting, Pastor Scot Mendendhall said something that made me think of the quote listed above. Scot said that when he runs marathons, there is always a point in the race where it becomes mental...where you have to decide whether or not you are just satisfied with finishing...or if you want to better your time and push yourself harder.

I love and hate that at the same time.

I love the fact that other people want to coast sometimes, too..just get through life. I feel like that occasionally. I feel like coasting...my knowledge, my spouse, my weight, my parenting, my ministry, ...there are many more. I wonder sometimes how far I could get with just revving my life up really hard...really go after it...and then just coast a few years. Not very far I would guess. That's like sprinting the first 5 miles of a marathon and then crawling to the finish line. Yes, I'd be done (same result)...but my time would stink.

I hate it because I come up against that thought a lot. Every fiber in my being wants to pause...to rest...to somehow convince myself that I have worked really hard and deserve it. Sometimes I have to force myself to do what I don't want to do to prepare myself for what God has gifted and called me to do...and it's hard. Growth hurts sometimes. Changing myself, while necessary, can feel lonely and painful...but it has to be done.

I'm going to stay curious, driven, and focused on what's really important this year...and thereafter. I can promise you this... I will keep moving forward. How about you?