Goodbye Sprinter: Hello Long Distance Runner tagged: ,

Goodbye Sprinter: Hello Long Distance Runner

Posted by in Church & Missions

A few days ago I crashed. The day before, I had gone all day at my usual breakneck pace. That evening we had a fantastic two hour meeting of our Missions Action Team (MAT) in which we were brainstorming ways to reach our Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth. What a wonderful exciting day it was. That night I had a hard time getting to sleep because my mind was racing with the possibilities of how God was moving in our midst. The next morning as I struggled to get out of of bed, I crashed. I didn’t physically fall; I crashed emotionally. I fell into a deep depression and stayed in bed the whole day. I got out of bed, took a shower, and prayed before my Wednesday night Prayer Meeting and Bible Study. After being with God’s people for an hour, I was refreshed. Has this ever happened to you?

In high school, I played football, baseball, and ran track. I wasn’t big but I was fast. My internal motor seems to have only one setting: high speed. I walk fast, I talk fast, I think fast, I eat fast. My normal mode of living is fast paced. I am the sprinter, a burst of energy that eventually flames out.

That wasn’t so bad when I was 30 because I could go fast all day long. However, now, at 57, I am learning that I cannot maintain the pace of a younger man. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think I am old by any stretch of the imagination, however, I am not young either. I am in an in-between world of being neither old nor young.

While I have been a sprinter most of my life, I am nopw trying to learn how to be the long distance runner. The long distance runner paces himself and endures the entire length of the race. The long distance runner of whom Paul writes in Hebrews 12:1-3.

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. Heb. 12:1-3 (NKJV)

So how does one transform from a sprinter to a long distance runner? Here are some things I am trying:

1. Learn how to pace myself.
Instead of working furiously for 10-12 hours each day, work steadily for 6-8 hours, taking breaks every couple of hours.
2. Give myself permission to take time off.
Friday is my designated day off. Sometimes I take it, other times I don’t. I will resolve to take my day off unless there is an emergency. In addition, I know that after three months, I need some more time off. I will put on my calendar two or three days each quarter to get away and refresh.
3. Let the church do more of the work.
Like many pastors, I feel a sense of responsibility to do everything myself. Unfortunately, this can stifle the spiritual growth of the church. I will let other people go to hospitals, do visitation, and take project responsibilities.
4. Exercise more.
I am a golfer and the only exercise I get is walking from the golf cart to the ball and back to the golf cart. I will join an exercise club and discipline myself to exercise more each week.
5. Get more sleep.
I am an insatiable reader. Sometimes I stay up reading until 1:30 am. Either I will begin reading earlier in the evening or cut back on my reading and get to bed an earlier hour. I’ll probably do the former rather than the latter.

These are just some thoughts I have had to help me be a better pastor to the people whom God has given me oversight. Perhaps you know of other ways of transforming from a sprinter to a long distance runner in life. I would love to hear your thoughts.