“Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains.” (James 5:7, ESV)
We overestimate what we can accomplish in a day. We are hurried and rushed to get done everything we think we need to do. Then at the end of the day we wonder what we accomplished, if anything.
At the same time, we underestimate what we can accomplish in the long term. When we establish good patterns and habits, we can look back over time and will be amazed how far we have come. Think about fine wine. It is produced over years and not days.
Before I moved to New Jersey from Illinois, a little more than three years ago, I had a regular running routine. I could circle our small town with a 3.65 mile run in about 30 minutes. I would get out three times a week regardless of the weather. It could be brutally cold with the wind blowing across the Illinois prairie in the middle of January.
When I moved to New Jersey, my routine was interrupted. I would get in a few runs here and there, but they were definitely few and far between. Emphasis on few! I had all the excuses. As the more time passed, the more I became entrenched as a couch potato. I lacked any motivation.
Then my daughter joined the cross country team at her middle school in September of this year. I was proud of her and wanted to encourage her. So one weekend I told her that I would go on a training run with her. This was not a good thing. We got a little over a mile, and I found myself short of breath and ready to hack a lung.
It was my moment of repentance. Something needed to change. My body and muscles responded ok, but it was my heart was the most out of shape. I needed to work on my cardio fitness.
I have a Fitbit that tracks my heart rate. It showed I had a resting heart rate of 66. I knew that this was a number that I needed to lower if I was to increase my endurance and speed to where I was before.
This was not something that was going to change overnight. It was something that would happen only if I remained committed to my renewed discipline over time. I knew I would need patience.
Looking at my heart rate from day to day was an exercise in frustration. One day it went down, and I was encouraged. But the next day it would shoot up leading to discouragement. It seemed like my heart rate was going in the wrong direction at first few weeks. Remember patience!
The difference came when I started looking at the monthly average rather than the day to day fluctuations. From September to October, the average dropped from 66 to 61.
The average for November might have been discouraging. For all the work I put in, it only dropped one beat to 60. The positive was that it was going in the right direction. Just not as fast as I might have hoped. Remember patience!
But as we now move into December, I now see that average drop to 57. Over the course of three months, I have shaved almost ten beats off my resting heart rate. I see the fruit of my discipline. But it takes time.
The point is to be patient. When we established new healthy patterns and disciplines, it takes time to see the fruit. The farmer does not harvest tomorrow. He harvests after a season of nurture and growth. Maybe you are struggling with establishing a new pattern or discipline in your life. You are frustrated you do not see the fruit in the way you hoped. God’s Word says, be patient. The harvest is coming!
alohakt says
As a Lutheran and a runner, I love this devotion. I’m reading it poolside in Hawaii, having just run the Honolulu marathon yesterday. This resonates in so many ways. Thank you! Er, mahalo nui loa!
dominique bovard says
I like this devotion too ( not a runner right now since my left foot hurts a bit), but i started to walk regularly because my heart pressure was very high sometimes; I am sure this routine is going to be very beneficial . and routine is good too as a jazz player on the guitar : it just takes years to learn…..most importantly, I have a daily routine reading the bible everyday of the week. What is very funny is that of my main personnality flaws is the lack of patiience !!!
Phil Ressler says
A lesson I once heard was do what you can do today so that tomorrow you can do what you cannot do today. A little each day will take you a long way.
Phil Ressler says
Aloha! Send some of that warm weather this way! It’s going to be a cold run tomorrow. Only getting to 25F in NJ.