Training for Holiness

"Everyone is an athlete. The only difference is that some of us are in training and some of us are not." – Runner's World Quote of the Day.

That quote appeared in my inbox this morning. My initial reaction as a runner in training was to be inspired to train harder. Then I read it again and I actually disagree with that quote a little. Not everyone is an athlete. Everyone may have athletic potential – even if it is just a tiny smidge. Take me for example: until 2008, I thought a decent workout was finishing a one mile jog without breathing too terribly hard or sweating away my cuteness. I was all cute shoes, manicured nails, fruity perfumes, and girl talk. Frou frou was my middle name. The term “athletic” couldn’t be used to describe anything about me, not even my tennis shoes. Athletic I was not. Still am not. Throw any ball-shaped object at me and my first instinct is to duck, not catch it. I still fall over when I try to do lunges. It’s ridiculously funny to watch but not athletically inspiring in the least. So, not athletic – but I am a runner. I logged 30 miles this week. It isn’t 50, and it definitely isn’t 200, but it is serious running. And, just so you know, according to the sporty-people-who-know, running is a sport. It is even an event in the Olympics. Therefore, I am an athlete – ha! My 62 pairs of high heels are laughing at that statement.

Back to the point, not everyone is an athlete. Just like not everyone is a Christian. Lost people and couch potatoes do exist. But for those who are athletes, there are two types: those in training and those who aren’t. The aren’ts are the has-been athletes. Training does not have an end. As long as you are an athlete, you train. When you stop training, you immediately become a has-been. Athlete is not a title achieved by logging so many hours on the field or in the gym. It is a description of what you do every day. The term athlete describes a life of disciple and purpose.Christian is a title given upon the acceptance and belief in the person and work of Jesus Christ. But Christianity, the process of becoming like Christ, continues as long as we live. Just like the training to be an athlete, learning to be like Christ never ends. As long as there is breath in our bodies, there is sin to be shed and holiness to be learned. And as long as we can still stand, there are still seconds that can be shaved off of our mile. It is a never ending process called training. Training for holiness.

Running must be planned or it won’t happen. No runner wakes up at 6am and decides spur of the moment to run twelve miles in 19degree weather. That run was planned weeks in advance, as part of the master plan to get that runner to a goal. And that goal is bigger than early mornings and cold weather. So the runner gets up and runs.

Holiness must be planned or it will never be learned. No Christian wakes up an hour earlier than required on a Monday morning and reaches for the Bible just because they are tired of sleeping. That time in the Word, those moments spent with God were planned beforehand. That discipline didn’t just come; it was planned in times of strength to carry us through early morning moments of weakness. A plan was made and committed to in order to insure that follower of Christ will actually follow Christ. And that dedication to the cause of knowing Christ is bigger than sleep or personal time. So the Christian wakes up early and kneels to pray.

I have a training schedule. It incorporates mileage and strength training, crossing training and speed work, hill training and resting into my week. If it wasn’t for that training schedule I wouldn’t be consistent. That little chart is the map to being a better runner. It sets the pace for the next several months of running. I know what is expected of me physically so that I can prepare mentally. As Christians, we need the same thing to keep us on track in following Christ. We need a plan for holiness.

Even though I talk more than anyone you have probably ever met, I am actually a doer. I actually made out a training chart for holiness. It’s on a pink Excel spreadsheet - I will spare you the details. It looks a little like this:

Running Schedule:
Monday: 60 minute run, comfortable jog. 2 sets speed drills. Weights: arms/legs.
Tuesday: Run 6 miles, race pace. Core.
Wednesday: Cross train (for me that is bike or elliptical). Weights: arms/legs.
Thursday: Run 8 miles, race pace +1.
Friday: Rest. Core.
Saturday: Run 12 miles, race pace or whatever it takes to finish.
Sunday: 4 mile jog or hill train.
Each week mileage increases.

Holiness Schedule:
Monday: Read 1 John 1, journal reflection, prayer run*. Scripture memory.
Tuesday: Read 1 John 2, journal, prayer run. Personal Bible Study on Genesis.
Wednesday: Read Psalms, journal. Time of Praise. Scripture memory.
Thursday: Read 1 John 3, journal, prayer run. Personal Bible Study on Genesis.
Friday: (Tired) Read Psalms, just let them wash over me. Listen to God.
Saturday: Read 1 John 4, journal, prayer run. Accountability. Scripture memory.
Sunday: Time of thanksgiving and praise (with the help of my iPod and David Crowder), meditate on Scripture memorized, read over 1 John 1-4. Personal Bible Study on Genesis.
*I pray for others while I run.

“Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy." And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.” 1 Peter 1:13-19

So who are you?
Are you the beer-bellied has-been athlete yelling at replays of the game in an effort to reclaim his glory days? Or are you the runner pouring sweat with straining muscles and who forces yourself across the finish line, breaking the tape with head held high because you did it.

Are you the Christian who reaches over his Bible in the morning in favor of the newspaper, whose memories of God are the only thing that convinces him that God actually exists? Or are you the Christian who is daily fighting the good fight, who expects to meet with God every day and hear from God ever time the Word is opened?Choose to train. Make a plan. Commit to the discipline of holiness. Just do it. So that you can say, as Paul did, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” 2 Timothy 4:7

Train for holiness.