A Smart Pace...

Greetings, Friends!

Susie Larson here...

And to those visiting, I say welcome! I USUALLY post every Wednesday (and have been very consistent to that end until last week). :) My sole purpose is to nourish your soul along the way. Though this post lands on a Friday, I'll be back on track next Wednesday. Lord willing. 

Each month I give away a $10.00 Starbucks gift card to someone who posts on my blog. So share a story or insight, bless lots of people, and just maybe you'll win a jolt of java for you and a friend. It's time to announce the winner for the month of October. Drum roll please...

Kimberlee Patton, congratulations! Please send me a message via Facebook and give me your mailing address. I'll get the card in the mail within the next week and a half. Thanks for sharing your posts with us!

NEW RELEASE!!!

I am very excited to announce the release of my newest book, "Embracing Your Freedom: A Personal Experience in God's Heart for Justice." 

Make my day and pick up a copy today! I believe the message of this book is an important word for women in our day. Follow the Amazon link below to get a look at my book. Please post a review if you've had the chance to read 'Embracing Your Freedom':

Embracing Your Freedom (on Amazon)

Now on to my topic...

A friend and I talked today about the importance of following the 'rules' of training. She is an elite athlete and competes at a very high level. She admittedly doesn't like to rest. She likes to move. She is a two-time cancer survivor, a near-fatal car accident survivor, and a typhoid fever survivor. Now that she's healthy, she wants to move! I understand her completely. I'm the same way. The thing is, though her coach repeatedly tells her to pull back at times and keep some reserve in the tank for the intense days, she figures, 'if I have it, I'm going to expend it.' Again, I understand her completely, because I'm much the same way.

But in order for us to accomplish the whole of what God has appointed us, we must never consider ourselves an 'exception to the rule.' If we run too hard without rest, we'll burn out. If we live half-hearted lives, we'll miss out. If we lose focus, we'll lose purpose. This is the race of our lives, friends, and if we want to 'run to win' we need to play by the rules. 

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. (1 Corinthians 9:24-25).

Let's take a moment to consider the different aspects of 'running to win' as it relates to our physical and spiritual lives:

Run Focused:

Smart athletes keep their eye on the prize, on the goal. They say 'no' to many things so they can say yes to the race set before them. We have a destiny and a specific call of God woven into our spiritual DNA. We live on this planet, in this day, in our community for some very distinct reasons. How about you? What are your God-assignments? Have you said yes to too many good things, or even not-so-good things that have deterred you from your God-ordained purpose on this earth?

Stay Nourished:

Smart athletes nourish themselves regularly throughout the day. Their input has everything to do with their output. If they skip meals or eat junk food, their performance will suffer significantly. How about you? Are you feeding yourself throughout the day with the things of God? In this day, we have access to spiritual nourishment with the click of a button. There's no reason in the world for us to be spiritual malnourished. Don't let your taste for spiritual food wane, otherwise your life choices will follow suit.

Train Hard:

Smart-winning athletes put their time into training. They take initiative when everyone else is sitting in front of the TV eating guacamole dip (something I'll be doing later on tonight). :) Truly though, since the Bible likens us to an elite athlete, we need to look at our level of training. Do you consider heavy seasons as an opportunity to get stronger, or do you complain, whine, and drop the ball on your faith when you're not getting your way? Are you earnest in prayer and do you take initiative to serve God every moment you think of it? We're not here to dabble in Christianity, we are either all-in or nothing (See Revelations 3:15-16).

Rest Well:

Finally, and this is perhaps the most difficult aspect of training, the truly smart athlete knows how and when to rest. We don't necessarily rest when we feel like it. I can think of plenty of times I 'felt' desperate for rest and God told me to get up and run. In hindsight, I was thankful I did. Great fruit came from those times. We are called to rest as the Lord leads, on Sabbath, in-our-hearts-as-a-way-of-life, and during seasons when the Lord pulls us out of the rat race and puts us into a circumstance where we have no other choice. One thing we must remember: God-directed rest will always propel us forward. God-rest heals, restores, and replenishes. Lazy-rest rips us off and depletes us of the muscle and motivation necessary for the race.

How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man (Proverbs 6:9-11).

Take a look at your form today. Are you strong in one area and yet neglecting another? May the Lord speak to your heart and help you to make the necessary adjustments. 

  And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we'll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels. Be prepared (Ephesians 6:10-13 MSG). 

Until next week~

Comments

[Susie Larson]

Dear Anna,

Thank you so much for your post (nothing to forgive). :) Truly, though, your words encouraged me greatly. May God mobilize hundreds of thousands of women for the sake of freedom and justice!
Bless you~

[anna J]

Susie--
Forgive the OT writing, but I had to let you know how much your Midday Connection talk meant to me. Listening to the podcast to catch up on the episodes I missed while out of town, I was mesmerized this morning by that hour you spent talking about "God's heart for justice". Thank you for your courage, and for inspiring us all to take leaps of faith in working for justice!

[Susie Larson]

Dear Christy,

I appreciate your heart for the Lord! I think the best thing we can do is to cultivate an atmosphere for growth in our own lives by responding to God as He leads, and pulling the weeds, digging up the rocks, turning over the hardened soil, and keeping our hearts open to the new things He sows into us daily. What a privilege it is to walk with Him, no? Bless you.

[Susie Larson]

Kathy,

I'm with you on the 'rest' part. Something I constantly have to watch and lay hold of. May we both learn to rest in His care and only say yes as He leads.
Bless you, sister!

[Susie Larson]

Dear Cheyenne,

Thanks for your words of encouragement. And you are right, you are not alone! We are in this together.
Be blessed, my sister.

[Susie Larson]

Jami,

So happy that you are responding to God's leading in your life. I remember when I stepped away from teaching aerobics. It was really tough because I loved it so much, but truly, I knew that I was giving up a good thing to lay hold of the best thing! And in a short amount of time, things opened up for me. You will be blessed by your obedience. Keep me posted on your journey. God bless you, sister!

[Christy]

This statement you made goes very well with something God is speaking to me in the Parable of the Sower:

"But in order for us to accomplish the whole of what God has appointed us, we must never consider ourselves an 'exception to the rule.' If we run too hard without rest, we'll burn out. If we live half-hearted lives, we'll miss out. If we lose focus, we'll lose purpose. This is the race of our lives, friends, and if we want to 'run to win' we need to play by the rules."

If I am not producing noticeable fruit in God's Kingdom I have to honestly and seriously check myself out to see which seed I am.

I passed the test of not letting Satan steal the Word, and I have the deeper soil, but I have to be honest and admit that I am stuck in the next category.

I feel that I am trying to get out of the seed that allows worries, and the deceitfulness of riches to stop me from producing Kingdom Fruit.

Now that I am wanting to become a better seed I am struggling on how to get my husband wanting to be the same seed.

It seems painfully obvious that if the 30, 60 or 100 fold return on God's Promises are not in my life that I am not "there."

I really believe that your ministry is to help women like me, so I look forward to your posts Susie.

Thanks so much.

[Kathy S]

Hi Susie,
Was thinking I was doing okay until the "rest" part...thanks for the reminder. I need to work on getting that in...

I love that the Lord gives us parallels like "running the race" to convey His will so we can understand...

Blessings!
Kathy

[cheyenne]

This is so ME, too! Very timely, right where I am. I think i am too tired to respond, and just yesterday i was running so well! I see God's work in me sometimes, and other times i just fall so hard. I look forward to your posts every week. GOD uses your ministry to show me i am not the only one going thru this. Thanks Susie, Thanks Lord for Susie.

[Jami]

Hey Susie! Great post. I wanted to tell you that I listened to Midday Connection from when you were on and I just wanted to shout, Preach it Sister!! I so appeciate your heart and your challenge to really live life for God.

I've been thinking a lot about rest lately and have cut back significantly in my day to day responsibilities (specifically my job as exercise instructor - I mentioned that here before). I know it was God directed and so even when I miss it, I feel peaceful and joyful because I was obedient.

I'm learning that the only way to truly live is to LET GO of my will and my ideas of how my life should look. He is blessing me (and stretching me) beyond measure and I just LOVE Him!

God bless you today. Let's keep running this race for His glory!! We serve an Awesome God!