Training

The cold crept up my arms like ivy up the side of an old, tired, forgotten house. It effortlessly got under the loose, hanging long sleeves that I had thrown on earlier. The crew at the trailhead is small. It is only Thomas, myself, and a biker that I have not met. Thomas asked, “What are you training for?” The implication is that no one in their right mind would come out to the woods at 5 a.m., strap a light onto their head, and run around just for fun. I could not agree more!

Spiritual maturity stagnates in people’s lives because they do not understand this concept. We do not perform spiritual disciplines simply because we are bored. We must intentionally train ourselves for a purpose.  You will fail if your spiritual disciplines do not have a purpose.

All spiritual disciplines are extremely helpful in growing our faith. If you perform them in a vacuum under your own will, they will eat you. Discipline for the sake of discipline is masochism.

But, if you do not have discipline, you will never grow.

Spiritual training happens when we have a goal and a clearly defined purpose in our discipline. The liturgical calendar is built with the natural ebb and flow of humanity. We need times of fasting, but we also need times of feasting. Each season culminates in a celebration.

You can change the way your spiritual life is shaped if you adopt this mentality. Create a clear training program to fast and feast. The Christian calendar is a great place to start.

“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. Therefore, I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.” 1 Corinthians 9:25-27