Pace yourself

I was walking with my lovely and gracious wife this morning before the sun came up. It was so freezing cold that I wimped out just as we got to a mile and a half. That's the one problem with choosing a route which circles by our house: there is a very large temptation to run in a get warm. I did - and it was a shock for my poor dog that her "dad's" hands were colder than her nose for the first time. The puzzled look as she kept pulling away was priceless. But - once I was warm, I couldn't be talked into going back out for another mile and a half.

Now, before I get emails telling me that "freezing cold" in Southern California doesn't even come close to the bone-chilling cold of other parts of the world, let me just say that I live here on purpose. I like temperate weather. No, there were no snow drifts, no ice on the puddles formed by the various lawn sprinklers which come on automatically at that time of day, no ice jewels dangling from the power lines or tree branches. But when you are used to 70 degrees average year 'round, it doesn't take much of a drop to bring out the babies.

Back to the walk - I walk with two partners - a good friend who is a tall man, and my wife. Walking with these two people has proven to be amazingly good: they challenge me, they keep me from giving up, they push me to do more, and on a cold day like today they block the freezing wind quite effectively. If we walk later in the day, and it gets warm, they can walk in my shadow to stay cool. In fact both of them can fit into my shadow at the same time, but that is changing.

But they have different natural strides than I do. I don't know if my legs are unusually short for my height, or if I was just built closer to the ground for better cornering or whatever, but the fact of the matter is that both of my walking partners have longer legs than I do. And I think that there is more to it than just the length of their legs - they just have a faster pace when they are walking at that comfortable speed which is our natural gait.

So to keep together, they tend to walk in little bursts. They go a bit, then slow or stop to let the old guy catch up. It is most enjoyable to watch, and heartwarming to know that they are so gracious. But I don't want to take advantage of them, so every so often I step it up to match their pace. They instantly know it, because the stop/start is instantly gone and we really get moving. Also I stop talking. I can keep pace with my wife for a mile or so, at the cost of a racing heart and hard breathing. I cannot talk when we are at this pace, and according to exercise experts, that is the best way to do it. They define that as "moderate exercise." If I could talk the whole time, I would not be working myself in a way that is beneficial. If I can talk in short phrases or just a few words at a time, I am getting a better cardiovascular workout - it's a great little built-in indicator. If I fall over and clutch my chest, well that's an indicator that I am getting overly dramatic. It happens.

There are times I wonder if my spiritual life is proceeding along similar lines. I walk at my own pace, and enjoy the grace of God in that He will stop and wait for me. But I have - of late - been getting the feeling more and more that He is calling me gently to try to keep up with Him. Not to die in the attempt, but to keep pace at the expense of ease and comfort. I can tell you that in the physical realm I would rather find a way to stay in my recliner eating sweets while losing weight and buffing out. But we all know that doesn't work. Likewise, in our spiritual journey we have times when God gets just a little ways ahead, and it's up to us to push it a little harder and keep pace with Him.

Well, I am committed to 'pushing it' in the physical. I want to be able to knock off four or five miles each morning, and I want to get to the point where I can keep pace with my wife, then, as I shape up, one day keep up with Tom, allowing him to finally walk at his natural pace and even beyond. At that point I may have to switch to a bike, but I do want to add in more strenuous exercise programs and actually get my wind back.

And in the spiritual? Well as strange as it seems, this blog was one step God called me to. I don't know who reads it or why, in fact I felt the call to do this even if nobody reads it at all! And it has become a part of my prayer life. I know that sounds very Chas (another word for 'odd'), but I pray conversationally just about all the time, and you get to see into that strange world a little bit via this odd collection of thoughts. Beyond that - I want to learn to advance and grow spiritually every day. I have been serving God for a long time now, and it would be easy for me to think I have come to some level, or reached some goal, or accomplished something. But God is so creative, I don't have to worry. If I just keep pace with Him, I will grow.

Lord - I want to match your pace.