But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. – 1 Corinthians 9:27 This passage is probably most commonly used in conjunction with these oft heard and more lame idioms: “slow and steady wins the race” or “it’s the journey that counts” or “mind or matter” and then there’s my favorite, “let’s not be hypocrites.” I won’t go there with you today. But let’s get one thing clear. The Apostle Paul didn’t want to fall off the bandwagon. He wanted discipline, not for the sake of discipline, but because he recognized something greater awaiting him if he persevered. He didn’t care about the journey. Nor did he care about what others would think of him. He cared about the prize. He didn’t want to be disqualified from it! This brings me to what we all strive for in life: to receive something better or to become someone better. Shoot, why not, Jesus did die for us so we can have better! So despite what Calvinist preachers tell us, we work hard in making ourselves better to be ready for a prize. We study harder because our tiger moms want us to become doctors. We diet harder so that the shirt that is two sizes too small fits more snugly. We work longer hours to get ahead. We party harder because there isn’t enough time to socialize with our hard schedules. We even fall in love harder. All of that is great and fine, but it’s a lonely road and a difficult path at best, if not absolutely treacherous! So if you don’t know, I’ve been on a 2012 mission to decaffienate myself, in hopes of making myself better. But its not going as well as I anticipated. In fact, it got so bad at one point that when my accountability partner in this (who graciously gave up coffee to walk encouragingly with me on this journey) asked how I was coping given my long days, I sent an obnoxious tirade about the oppression I am enduring for only being allowed 240mg of caffeine any given day. However the story doesn’t end there because I got a response:
…so as a grown-up who is of age and (relatively) sound mind to make his own decision, you have two solutions to choose from: 1. Try to be a little less miserable, and actually be happy that you’re working toward a goal that YOU want. 2. Quit the project. this was, is, and always will be an option, but I don’t recommend it because it will show you in a very, very, very psychologically unsteady, emotionally hopeless, socially unattractive, capricious and stubborn light.
If you are like me and on day 19 of the new year, debating whether it is even worth the fight to continue in your new found path, I want you to tell yourself, “it is worth the prize!” Perhaps you are the person who has been debating whether you can continue on with school because you hate 99% of the people there, well, I want you to tell yourself, “there’s still the 1%!” Maybe you are contemplating to cheat so you can get ahead in life because everyone is moving past you– don’t disqualify yourself from the real prize! I managed to stay on the bandwagon another day and I can bet, as long as I don’t give up and my accountability partner is there to kick me in the shin every now and then, I will become better suited for the prize I always dreamed of. Quit should not enter your mind, because the prize is too good to give up on. Whatever it is that you have set yourself to do make yourself better, don’t do it alone if you’re feeling tempted to quit. Find somebody to journey with you. In fact, the more, the better. Jesus is already on your side and wants you to become radically changed for the better, the only thing stopping you is that nagging feeling of whether the hard road is even worth it. I tell you that it is and it won’t disappoint.
Comments are closed