Lessons From the Pig

Several weeks ago, I hit the wall in my training to walk the Flying Pig Marathon. I've been doing 4 days of training each week. 3 walks during the week are average lengths, and then on the weekend you have a long walk. The distance for each walk builds from week to week. It was during one of my long walks (15 miles) along the Little Miami bike trail that my crisis erupted.

I'd already been walking for 3 hours. My feet were killing me. And even though I was nearly finished with that day's training, it suddenly occurred to me that I had only walked the equivalent of half of a marathon. A quick inventory of the various body parts screaming for mercy assured me I was close to shutting down. How could I possibly walk another 13 miles? Why would I want to?

All of us have days when we feel like quitting. Overwhelmed or discouraged, we throw up our hands as if to say, "What's the use!" I call those days Monday. Ministry is hard work that takes a toll week after week. It isn't the workload so much as the emotional drain of being a leader of people -- some who seem to forget that I'm a "people" too. Working in a grace-filled environment helps, but I've never gotten used to the barrage of blows the Enemy throws at me. It feels like I've got a bullseye on my back, and more often than I'd like to admit, quitting seems like the perfect solution.

Who would have dreamed training for "The Pig" could teach me a lesson about ministry?

As I finished the last few miles of my training that day, it became evident I was struggling with more than just a tired & sore body -- my soul was weary. Quitting is contagious, so I began to dream of how sweet it would be to quit everything. It's not fair. Life is too hard. I'm the wrong guy. It's not worth it.

Time flies when you're having those fun conversations with yourself. Before I knew it I had covered the entire course. Sitting down in my car felt great, but somehow quitting didn't anymore. You see, my mistake was trying to complete a marathon when that day's task was only to walk 15 miles. I'd done that (something to be proud of). Instead of being satisfied or stretched by today's challenge, I was trying to do everything at once. Each day has it's own challenges. Some days you just need to rest.

I've logged 252 training miles to date and still have over a month before the race. I've decided to trust the training routine that has worked for thousands of marathoners before. I may or may not have what it takes to walk a marathon, but I won't know that until May 2. All I know is I can't finish a marathon in one giant leap. But if I concentrate on one step at a time, I'll get there eventually.

Oh yeah... I'm not quitting my ministry either. Some rest would feel good, but I can't let the distance ahead distract me. One step at a time. All I need to be satisfied is a comfortable pair of shoes.