The Incline of Life

One Step at a Time

As we began to ascend the Manitou Springs Incline this morning (one mile straight up the mountain, basically), I slightly dreaded what was ahead. This was a repeat for me, so I knew it wasn't going to be easy. I also knew I was capable of getting to the top. The only difference between this time and the first was my perspective. From the beginning of today's climb, I chose to focus, not on the vertical path stretching above me, but on each individual step in front of me. One at a time. When we will ourselves to simply focus on what's right in front of us, instead of becoming overwhelmed with what is beyond, we do ourselves a service. This renewed vision promptly moves the desired outcome within reach and takes us one step closer to the goal.

"The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way." Psalm 37:23

The Importance of Goal-Setting

Once we were well past the bail-out point on the trail and slowly trekking to the false summit (one of my least favorite phrases), I was struggling with soreness, fatigue and shortness of breath. When I focused on the struggle, it tempted me to want to stop, sit down and rest. So, I started to set goals for myself and zeroed in on those. I would choose a point, a landmark, and not allow myself to stop and rest until I reached it. The goal was always far enough to be a challenge, but close enough to be obtainable. Other times I counted steps, sometimes 10 at a time, sometimes 50 or 100. In any case, whatever the next short-term goal, it achieved progress and got me closer to the top.

"Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised." Hebrews 10:35-36

Clear Vision

I would go back and forth between putting on and taking off my sunglasses. It's just a completely different clarity, depending on the conditions. If the sun is bright and in my eyes, I need the protection of dark lenses to enable me to clearly see and have sure footing. In the same way, there are conditions in our lives that detract from true focus and accurate direction. They threaten to blind and distract us, and we need protection, by means of guarding our eyes and keeping them on the path in front of us, so we are able to finish the task at hand.

However, there were times when it was actually easier to see without sunglasses. When the sky became cloudy, they made it too dark. As I looked down at where I was stepping, I could be seeing part of the path through the lenses and part of it under them, and it fractured my perspective making it more difficult to stay balanced and not fall. We have been entrusted with various gifts and tools to use, but it is greatly important that we know when and how to use them.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:1-2

Steady or Speedy

There is a time and a need for both slow and steady, as well as making bigger, quicker leaps. There are situations that call for patience and others that require action. Personally, I'm much more apt to act than wait. When it comes to physical endurance, I rely much more often on bursts of energy with rest in between rather than a constant pace. There are uses for interval training that prepares us, so when the circumstances that ask us to respond with action arise, we are ready. I think, though, that more often we are petitioned to keep going at a rate that is moving but at the same time waiting and not knowing exactly where we are headed. Patience produces more insight over time. It creates wisdom and understanding that is deep below the surface of what a reaction can suffice. I'm a bigger fan of the intervals because they are easier in the moment. In the long run, I desperately desire to acquire what the steadfast momentum yields. 

"Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in all the earth!" Psalm 46:10

Arrival

The feeling of arriving at a goal is almost indescribable. When you have the ability to look back and see how far you've come, there is a gratitude beyond comparison. The realization of a task completed immediately obliterates, even if it's short-lived, the pain and struggles that it took to get there. All at once, it's suddenly worth it and we'd do it all over again. This is why it is essential that we cling to moments of victory; they will likely be what we hold onto and are energized by when we are standing on the edge of defeat.

"Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own." Philippians 3:12