In doing endurance sports I have always hoped that I was an
inspiration for others to emulate. However,
this thought crossed my mind the other day: do I want to be an
inspiration or do I want to inspire. Often I thought they were the same thing. But being an inspiration, isn't that about
me becoming something rather than specifically about others being
inspired? As an old triathlete do I really like it when others applaud my performance because of my age and I consequently feel like a tough old bird for my age? Or, do I do it so others might be
inspired to challenge their own perceived age limitations, whether it be age, physicality, or whatever
Upon examining true motives I have often found myself
prideful-pounding on my chest like some geriatric Tarzan. There is a scripture that says something to
the effect, “Search me O God and know my heart:
try me and know my thoughts.” (Psalm 139:23) That is a scary proposition. It would be a lot easier and less painful to work
on the faults of someone else. But I
have found that my greatest times of personal and spiritual growth occur after I have sincerely asked God to “fix me, fix me!”
I would love to do another ironman. That would be quite satisfying and uplifting but to make life complete, I only have to be grateful and giving, completely in life, in the moment with God.
No comments:
Post a Comment