On Sunday some 23 000 athletes of all shapes and sizes will start the Comrades Marathon in Durban. Choosing to run this race is not something that any of them decided spontaneously some time last week :) The Comrades requires many months (or even years) of careful planning and intentional action. In a society that prizes quick fixes and instant solutions, the Comrades runners are our heroes - they are committed to the long, slow journey.
Eugene Peterson's book "A Long Obedience in the Same Direction: Discipleship in an Instant Society" invites you and I likewise to be marathon runners, committed to the long, slow journey as disciples of Jesus. Like the runners who get up early morning after morning to train, we are called to make daily decisions that may be just as unspectacular and uncomfortable - stopping our busyness to be silent before the Scriptures, choosing our language to respond kindly to rudeness, making decisions about our resources that reflect the generosity of God.
As we watch the athletes on the road this weekend may we be inspired to renew our own commitment to a long obedience in the same direction!
Eugene Peterson's book "A Long Obedience in the Same Direction: Discipleship in an Instant Society" invites you and I likewise to be marathon runners, committed to the long, slow journey as disciples of Jesus. Like the runners who get up early morning after morning to train, we are called to make daily decisions that may be just as unspectacular and uncomfortable - stopping our busyness to be silent before the Scriptures, choosing our language to respond kindly to rudeness, making decisions about our resources that reflect the generosity of God.
As we watch the athletes on the road this weekend may we be inspired to renew our own commitment to a long obedience in the same direction!