Faith Stamina

Recently, I found myself in a storm. I received a phone call with some disturbing news, and was subsequently contacted by several people who proceeded to dump accusations and assumptions all over me. I immediately went into “drama mode”--getting all wrapped up in the situation and positioning myself to figure it all out and fix everything for everyone. Because that’s what I do. Fortunately, I had plans to go out of town that afternoon, because it turned out to be the best thing for me.

As soon as I recognized how I was responding to the situation (I could physically feel my heart racing), I made a conscious decision to STOP. To get in the car, head of town, and literally leave the whole situation behind. And that’s exactly what I did. Which doesn’t sound like a big deal... unless you know me. You see, I have a tendency to overanalyze, talk things to death and obsess about problems until I find myself in a full-fledged panic attack. But this time, I had absolute peace. Let me repeat that, because I’m still so dumbfounded by it...

I. HAD. PEACE. The storm raged on (even though I drove 200 miles away from it), but I was able to find an inner peace despite the attacks. Why? I think I have an answer: stamina.

I started running 14 years ago. My commitment level has ranged from intensely training for a half marathon to running a few times a month with friends. When I am not going regularly, the runs are significantly more painful because I haven’t built up the stamina I need to stay strong. I get side cramps, need to talk walk breaks and sometimes even end up with injuries that prevent me from running altogether. I realized that faith is the same way--if I haven’t built up the stamina in my faith life, there is no way I can stay strong when the storms hit. So what does that look like?

I believe there are three distinct elements of our faith lives: piety, study and action. It’s important to build stamina in all areas, although they will fluctuate. For me, piety is focusing on authentic prayer and communicating with God throughout the day. So not just praying when I need something or times are hard, but constantly--to tell Him what I’m thinking, ask Him a question and listen for a response, or thank Him for the many blessings I receive every day. My relationship with God needs to be nurtured and fed, otherwise what kind of relationship is it? Study isn’t just about group studies, although I am currently in an amazing book study with the most incredible women, but also about reading Scripture daily and immersing myself in God’s Word and Truth. The Bible even says, “Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us…” (Hebrews 12:1). If I have these truths in my heart, I can skip the walk breaks and avoid the side cramps and just keep running. Finally, action is about honoring God by serving others with the gifts He has given me. When I do this on a regular basis, my heart is so full. I feel useful and helpful and it always puts into perspective how blessed I truly am.

For the past few months, I have been building up this stamina in all areas because I’ve been very intentional about it. Daily (hourly sometimes!) prayer has become a habit for me because I’ve experienced the power of answered prayer and the way I feel when I share things with God directly. I keep my Bible on the kitchen table so I can flip through it every morning at breakfast and I post meaningful Scripture passages everywhere I can. I keep my eyes open for opportunities to serve others--sending a kind note to someone who seems discouraged, making a meal for an overwhelmed friend...giving is more rewarding to me than receiving. I believe God gave me a heart like that.

I don’t mean any of this to sound boastful or prideful, I really don’t. My point is that with God’s direction, because I had been “running” with him on a regular basis, when that storm hit, I was able to tap into HIS peace. I believe He orchestrated the timing for me to go out of town and just be with Him instead of getting swept up in the tornado that was brewing. I included this painting, titled “Peace in the Midst of the Storm,” because it reflects this idea of peace--look closely and you’ll see a birds’ nest in the picture within the waterfall. The mother bird is sheltering her babies in that little nook within the rocks. Peace is not the lack of chaos, it’s security and safety within the chaos. And that’s exactly what God gives us when we are faithful and connected to Him. My prayer for you is that you experience this peace in the next storm. And the next. And the next.