T is for Training by Lorilee Guenter

 

Once upon a time, my daughter challenged me to walk/run a 5K with her. I was an overweight, asthmatic who could not run 30 seconds. But how do you say no to the argument: you tell us to just try? I set out to train my body to run for 5 minutes, convinced I would fail. My plan was to run 5 minutes and walk 5 minutes. If I could run more great. I had to work with diligence and intentionality. To my surprise, it worked. I no longer run preferring to hike instead. Because of the earlier training, I know I can hike up to 5K even on a more difficult terrain. 

Somewhere around the time I started training my body, I started retraining my mind. I had written for fun. I kept a journal on and off. I decided I wanted to try writing a novel. I built on my journal habit and sat down to write each day in November that year. The result is a disjointed mess. I had not taken time to build my story telling skills. I might break it up into short stories. I might leave it on the shelf as a reminder that I can try and I can learn. I can train to improve my writing. I have a series of novel attempts. Each better than the last. One is almost ready to publish. During these training exercises, I learned what I like to write and what I struggle to write. The first draft of my writing is always a case of the missing comma. However, with practice, I no longer miss as many commas as I once did. 

Books, workshops, and writing communities are integral to my training. So is reading. I am always reading. Just as an athlete continues to train in their sport, as writers we need to continue to work on our craft.

In Hebrews 12:1 we are challenged to "run with perseverance the race marked out for us." We are also given guidelines for training in faith and life. By fixing our eyes on Jesus we can reach the goal. I can not run this race alone. In each of the training examples above, I had a group of people challenging me,  guiding me and cheering me on. In life and faith we have the same support when we engage with the community around us. No matter how large or small our faith family is, we have a friend and mentor in Jesus Christ through His Holy Spirit. A life of consistent faith is the most important training we will undertake. May we each follow the training plan He has for our lives. 

The Obstacle Is the Way by Sandi Somers

If we are in submission to God, it may be that obstacles are God’s perfect plan for us.

“I will make all my mountains a way.”

~Isaiah 49:11 (KJV)

Once while travelling from Alberta to British Columbia, my friend and I drove towards a huge mountain. Our highway looked as though it was the Pied Piper leading us into the mountain where we would be lost forever. Yet as we got closer, our road turned to the right, and we drove up and over the pass, leaving the mountain behind.

Shortly after this trip, my health and life collapsed. It took time to heal, time to rebuild my life. During that time God brought back that mountain image as a metaphor for His way through obstacles, encouraging me through a little book called God at Eventide.

 Go forward unafraid.

Face each difficulty, however great and seemingly unconquerable, as you go forward towards it.

The strength you will require from Me for that adventure into danger, as it may seem to you, will fortify you for its overcoming.

“Fear thou not, for I am with thee” (Isaiah 41:10).

Go steadily forward in calm trust along the path of quiet obedience.

That is your work. Mine to cause the doors to swing open, as you come to them, not before.

So trust, so hope, so love. ^[i]

In addition, I realized that we go through difficulties for another purpose. 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 says in part: "Praise be to God...who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble..." Overcoming my obstacles was meant to help and encourage others. 

But God brought light and beauty too. One summer I had part-time work, and each weekend when visiting my parents, I brought flowers from Mom's lavish garden. They filled our apartment with joy, fragrance and comfort. 

* * *

Beyond my own story, I’m encouraged by a “great cloud of witnesses,” (Hebrews 12:1), those who have discovered how "mountains" have become the way.

·        Milton wrote Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained when he was blind. His daughters transcribed his poetry for him.

·        Beethoven composed some of his most beautiful music when he was deaf, hearing the orchestra only in his trained mind.

·        Edison invented the light bulb after 1,000 unsuccessful attempts. When a reporter asked, "How did it feel to fail 1,000 times?" Edison replied, "I didn't fail 1,000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps."

·        Solzhenitsyn in his literary memoir, The Oak and the Calf, quoted the old saying, “If Trouble comes, make use of it." He added, “Misfortune can open the door to freedom, if we have the wit to read it aright”

·        “In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity” Albert Einstein once said.

Now over to you. What obstacles have you encountered in your life and/or writing? What has God taught you, and what have you learned from them?

---

[i] Russell, A.J., Ed. God at Eventide. Old Tappan, NJ: Fleming H. Revell. 1950. Pp 88-89.

No Turning Back - Marcia Laycock

Another blank page stares me in the face; or a chapter needs to be edited and made more concise; or an article that's only half a page needs to be four. The challenge of writing - you climb to the top of a mountain and discover there is another obstacle waiting. 

It reminds me of a riding trip I did once, into Alberta's Rocky Mountains. I was with an experienced guide and our first few rides had been great. Then on the third evening he proposed a challenge. "I'd like to go up to the highest peak tomorrow," he said, "but it's a long ride, six hours at least, so who's up for it?"

Four of us headed out right after breakfast. As we approached a fast-flowing river our guide cautioned about not staring at the swirling water and what to do if we fell off. I was relieved when my horse lunged up the far bank with me still on his back. Then we began to climb. I looked up and thought, wow, that's one big mountain and we're only just starting; then, hmm, we're almost half way up; then we were leading our horses up the last steep incline to the very top. It was exhilarating to look out at that 360 degree view. But our guide told us there was a decision to make.

“We can go back the way we came up," he said, "or we can follow this ridge to the other side of that mountain.” I followed his arm as he pointed. The ridge was long and narrow and the mountain looked far away. But we were all still a bit "high" from making the first climb, so we opted for the more adventurous route.

The strip of dirt we advanced across was just wide enough for the animals to plant their feet. Both sides fell away steeply. We were half way across when I felt my horse kicking out at the horse-flies that had appeared out of no-where. Our guide glanced back and warned us that if we felt our horses begin to slide off the narrow path, we should "get off fast. There's nothing to stop them if they start to go and you'll find yourself under 1000 pounds of horseflesh before you know it." Right, I thought. And why did I say yes to this, again? But there was no turning back now.

I was relieved, again, when we stepped off the ridge and began making our way around the second mountain. Then the trail disappeared and everywhere we turned deadfall blocked our way. After more than an hour trying to find a tail that would take us down we headed back up and around the mountain, then down the other side, "bushwhacking" through a dense growth of pine and spruce until we reached the river valley.

But another obstacle became obvious. The river before us was in full flood and the place where our guide had thought we could cross was too swampy for the horses to tromp through. So we headed upriver, looking for another spot to ford. Two hours later we decided to risk sloshing through the muskeg and into the river. 

We all emerged drenched and shivering on the other side, but glad to be at last on open ground where we could make some time getting back to the campsite. We had been gone for almost twelve hours and we knew our friends and family would be worried. When we finally climbed out of the saddles we were tired and hungry, not to mention sore, but exhilarated. We had stories to tell and memories to cherish about the journey.

As I face those blank pages, chapters to be edited and articles to be fleshed out, I remember that trek on horseback and I keep going. I think of all the famous books that were rejected time and again but eventually became best sellers. I think of friends who keep sending out their work and learning their craft even though the rejection slips pile up. And I remember that when you're half way across a high ridge or fast flowing river, there's no turning back. I know it won't be easy - there will be obstacles and barriers that seem insurmountable, but there will also be memories to cherish about the journey and an exhilarating view when I reach the top.

"and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us" Hebrews 12:1b.

****

Marcia Laycock is the winner of the Best New Canadian Christian Author Award for her novel One Smooth Stone. The sequel, A Tumbled Stone, has just been released. To find our more about Marcia's writing go to her website