To Give Up Or To Take On
by Dale Jones
It is sad to admit, but Lent might have been like any other 40-day period of my life were it not for this blogging effort. Since I could scarcely blog about blowing off Lent, knowing that blogging would mean instating some spiritual observance was, as I noted last week, a key reason to blog at all. Selecting a spiritual practice seemed a bit like raking leaves in the forest: opportunities were almost boundless. I could readily identify habits, behaviors, or attitudes to give up, and others I would do well to adopt. With such an abundance of possibilities, how should I hone in on some course that might actually make a difference in my Christian journey, yet was realistic enough I had a chance of adhering to it? Despite occasional wisecracks that I was giving up fasting for Lent, a strong sense emerged to take on something missing or delinquent in my life, rather than give something up. Two areas were obvious targets:
1) Devotional life. My daily prayer time, meditation, Bible study or anything similar had long fallen prey to schedule demands, lack of discipline, procrastination, and skill at rationalizing why I did not have time for regular pursuit of these activities.
2) Exercise. I know from experience that even a modest degree of regular aerobic exercise (usually jogging, for me) helps keep my energy level high, my mental outlook good, and my doctor from threatening to invoke cholesterol meds. While some may consider exercise a physical rather than spiritual practice, jogging can be for me as spiritual as praying or meditating – and sometimes my venue for both. Yet I was making full use of the same schedule, discipline, and rationalization deterrents to be nearly as slack in exercising as in devotional practice.
At Christmas, a friend gave me a little book of devotions titled 100 Days of Integrity for Men. I thanked her, acknowledged my need for some type of daily devotional practice, and put the book on a shelf. It resided there until last week when I decided to employ it for my Lenten practice. As I type this post, not quite a week into Lent, I have been using the book daily – almost. I am still discerning whether it is the right tool or the only tool for the spiritual progress I would like to achieve. Having tried both, I realize the greater value (for me, at least) of devotional moments early in the day rather than at day’s end. Setting aside these moments in the first part of the day, I must confess, has been a struggle.
Although never an exercise enthusiast, I can endure jogging and sometimes even enjoy it, especially in the right setting: the parks along the lakeshore in Evanston, or better, the wooded trails alongside the cypress lagoons of First Landing State Park when I am occasionally home in the Tidewater area of Virginia. I knew that jogging in daylight-shortened days of February in Chicago, however, would usually mean a treadmill in the fitness room in my apartment building. I do not enjoy treadmills. But so far, I have endured two treadmill sessions. Thanks to a weekend and slightly moderating temperatures, I also jogged along the lake – a welcome change despite the chill and some slush underfoot. For the time being, though, it’s back to the treadmill, with a prayer that longer days and warmer temps arrive before Lent departs.
Tags: Dale
