Jesus, Gandhi, and Michael Jackson

When I was 14 I went with a couple of girlfriends to see the Jackson’s Triumph Tour at the Municipal Auditorium in Nashville. Michael had recently gone solo and had released his “Off the Wall” album in 1979 (pre Thriller), featuring his hit song, “Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough.” A song that is impossible for me to sit still through, from the moment I hear the first note. I had followed Michael’s career from his early days with his brothers and still tear up when I hear him sing “I’ll Be There.”

My most favorite Michael Jackson song of all time was released in 1987, titled “Man in the Mirror.” The lyrics have resonated with me since it’s release:

I’m starting with the man in the mirror
I’m asking him to change his ways
And no message could have been any clearer
If you wanna make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself, and then make a change

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, the preeminent leader of the Indian independence movement in British ruled India; was born on October 2, 1869. He was best known as ‘Mahatma’ Gandhi. ‘Mahatma’ means ‘Great Soul.’ Although this civil rights activist for South Africa was assassinated on January 30, 1948, his most famous quote continues to be as relevant today as the day he first spoke the words:

“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”

I am a Christ follower. I am imperfect, and flawed, but I am an open, honest, struggling, follower of Jesus Christ. The words of Jesus are important to me. I find it very interesting when I hear His words or His message being repeated in the words and messages of men and women throughout our history.

Like Michael Jackson and Mahatma Gandhi, Jesus shared a message about looking inward as a way to change the world. Or I as I like to tell the children I nanny for frequently, “worry about yourself.” We have a tendency to look at the faults and flaws of others and make suggestions or recommendations of how “they” can be better people, make better choices, or do things better. Or worse, we rant and rave about “them,” and point fingers of blame.

Jesus’ parable in Matthew 7, beginning in verse 3 goes like this:

Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

Have you ever stopped to think what the world would look like if each of us spent more time “worrying about ourselves?” I’m not saying that in the sense that ‘I’m going to take care of me and mine.’ Nor am I saying we shouldn’t take care of the needs of others. Quite the contrary, I’m saying it from the context of Jesus’ parable. If we simply spent more time on the ‘man in the mirror,’ the world might truly be a better place.

Many years ago I worked for a boss I didn’t like. I focused on her flaws, mistakes, communication issues, etc. It wasn’t my fault; I was great at my job, why should I change to her way of thinking when I was already successful. Wow! That major log or plank growing from my eye prevented me from having a positive relationship with my boss. I was too busy focusing on the speck in her eye, that I couldn’t see that the reason we were butting heads was that I was constantly hitting her with my ‘plank!’ While I no longer work for this particular boss, I assure you many lessons were learned during in that season.

The year 2013 was a milestone year in my life; my husband and I went through a major transformation in our marriage. I dare say the primary factor in this miraculous change had to do with our focus. Our focus shifted from each other’s ‘specks’ (the faults, problems or issues we had with each other), to working on our own ‘planks,’ or character defects. Our simple (not easy mind you) shift of focus towards God, asking His help in showing us our own flaws made all the difference in our world.

In this season, following an election that has generated so much controversy, conflict, and blame; I want to challenge you to change the world! Change your relationships, change your focus, and change your world. Start with that “man in the mirror.” “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” “First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.”

In Celebrate Recovery, we would refer to Steps 6 and 7:

Step 6: We were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.

“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” - James 4:10

Step 7: We humbly asked Him to remove all our shortcomings.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” - 1 John 1:9

You may have spent so much time pointing out the ‘speck’ in everyone else’s eye, that you hardly notice the ‘plank’ or ‘log’ in your own eye. I challenge you to examine yourself. Do you struggle with anger, anxiety, close mindedness, control, fear, gluttony, humility, impatience, intolerance, jealousy, perfectionism, prejudice, resentment…the list could literally go on and on. Chose one, just one character defect or ‘plank’ that you and the ‘man (or woman) in the mirror’ could start working on right now. If your world becomes a better place, OUR world will become a better place.

Go now, and “worry about yourself” and “be the change!” Together, we can make this world a better place.

Run Streaked Out

Have you ever obsessed over something, even something good? So much so, that you let it consume you and control your life? Have you ever focused so much on keeping a rule, that you lost sight of the rule’s purpose? It reminds me of Jesus’ rant in Matthew 23:23-26:

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.

Like the Pharisees, I took something good and good for me and turned it into an obsession, a rule, a thing that had to be done at all cost. I needed to make a change, and adjust my thinking towards this activity.

My run streak ended on day 693. Since November 26, 2014, I have run at least one mile a day for six hundred and ninety-three consecutive days. Since January 1, 2015, I have run for a minimum of 20 minutes a day for six hundred and fifty-eight consecutive days. And finally, since November 22, 2015, I have run at least two miles a day every-single-day.

On October 20, 2016, I'd had enough. I was tired – nope – I was exhausted. It’s been a tough season…mentally, emotionally, and physically. And on that unseasonably warm day, I had had enough. Enough of the joint pain, enough of the muscle ache, enough of the discipline, enough of the planning, just enough! I was tired, exhausted, and fatigued. I needed rest. Rest for my muscles and joints, rest for my mind, and rest for my soul...that is, if it's my soul who became weary, obsessed, feared letting others down, bored, and overwhelmed at times. And so, I stopped. Just 37 days shy of two full years, I voluntarily ended my run streak. My knees and right hip celebrated! Regardless of how close I was to perfecting two full years of consecutive days of running, I needed this proverbial monkey off my back!

Let me be clear, I didn't quit running. I just quit the rule of running every-single-day. In fact, you could say I took a break, because I ran again on Friday, October 21, without a watch or running app mind you. It was freeing! The "every-single-day" part was beginning to make me angry, obsessive, and a variety of other negative traits. Believe me, it took just as much courage to end the streak as it took me to start it in the first place! It was not a decision I took lightly. I mulled it over for weeks and talked through it with my husband and niece before making the decision. It was like Jesus points out in the verse above, “These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others,” I had no plans of quitting this good habit; I just needed to put it in its proper perspective.

If you wonder why I started the run streak in the first place, here is the story I wrote in January 2015: Always a Runner.

Basically, I needed discipline. I had gone through a journey of renewed commitment to Christ’s care and control of my life. I had gone through an amazing transformation in my marriage. I didn’t want to lose traction on this positive journey, so I decided to set a fitness goal that would help with my lack of discipline. Runners and the runningcommunity intrigued me, and quite honestly, I didn’t think I could become one of them. 

So why, did I end the run streak? Well, although I outlined some of the reasons in the paragraphs above, I’ll elaborate. I was dealing with an increase of joint and muscle pain. I’m pretty sure much of this was mental, but the pain in my right hip would often keep me awake at night, and interfere with a good night’s sleep. And I was struggling the last few weeks. I was getting slower, not faster.

Another reason for pressing the pause button on the run streak was boredom. I thrive on flexibility and spontaneity, and I found nothing spontaneous about feeling required to run everyday.

But, I think the biggest reason I put a halt to the run streak was that the keeping of the rule, became more important than the reason for the rule. I had become a running Pharisee. I was more focused on getting the run done, than the benefit of running to my health, or the benefit of daily disciplines. Even though my fitness coach, Wayne Burns advised me to approach the streak in the daily mantra of "if I can, I will;" I twisted it into "I must, and I will at all cost." See the difference?

I have a tendency to fall into obsessive-compulsive behaviors and have an addictive personality. I became obsessed with ‘when’ I’d get my run in, ‘where’ I would run, and mapped out my schedule around my run. Vacations and out of town work-based travel became a pain in the butt! I can only imagine how annoying I was to my family, friends, and co-workers when I was obsessing over when I’d run. I even became angry with a co-worker for being on the only treadmill in a hotel. How dare she occupy the only machine when I needed to run at a certain time!

I dare say there was much more good than bad that came from my run streak. It has really only been the last few of months that it shifted from benefit to burden. Discipline was the main benefit! I needed self-discipline in my life, and a daily run seemed to be a simple way to accomplish this goal. The lesson of discipline has spilled over into other areas of my life, as I have developed the daily discipline of reading God’s word and praying. This good habit will continue to be a daily non-negotiable! Discipline is a good thing, as written in Hebrews 12:11, “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”

I also learned time management, the benefit of regular sleep, managing diet and nutrition, and perseverance. I learned I could do whatever I set my mind out to do! Running is much more mental than physical. Some days I ran just before midnight to get my run in for the day. Other days I’d run at midnight when I needed to catch an early flight, and the travel day wouldn’t permit me to get it in later. And yes, I even ran when I had the flu, albeit slower, and in quarter-mile increments with rest in between. Perseverance is a positive trait I can claim and own!

Another benefit was that I was encouraging others. I had friends tell me that my run streak motivated them to improve their own physical fitness. I also learned that isolation in any context is not good: alone time, yes, but isolation, no. There is a difference. Although I had a great running community, I avoided them because they didn't fit into my schedule. But whenever I would join the group, I ran better than when I’d run alone. I was also skipping my group circuit class; I would justify it because I had already run...but oh how I’ve missed this community! Like many things, exercise is so much better when done in community with others!

Ending the run streak was a difficult decision. Do I consider myself a failure? Who would I be failing? My family? My boss? Myself? My God? My fitness coach, Wayne Burns...or his wife and my friend, Steph? After all, her run streak is twice as long as mine (and as far as I know still going).

Believe me, I had to let this decision swirl around in my head for a while, for weeks even, before deciding to press pause on my daily streak. Would someone be disappointed in me? Would someone I care about like me less if I stopped? Would I be letting someone down? You see…my addictive personality was starting to show. I am addicted to what others think of me, and I seek to avoid rejection. This is often referred to as a love, romance, and relationship addiction; but, can also fall into the character defect of co-dependency or people pleasing.

While starting the run streak was a good thing and keeping it going for over a year had many positives effects, it had started to become a negative thing for me. I was allowing it to take over my thoughts, my plans, and my life. Thankfully, through Celebrate Recovery I've learned to take a daily inventory and make amends to others, including myself, whenever possible. Stopping the run streak before I completely loathed running was important to me. 

I know I have experienced many of the positive results of running and I knew I wanted it to continue to be a runner. I just knew I needed to make some adjustments. I also knew I had other areas of my life I needed to focus on...nutrition and calorie intake for one. As Coach Rod Key says, "you can't out exercise a bad diet."

I still need discipline. I want and need non-negotiables in my life. And I will continue to set goals, and stretch myself. I will just need to pepper them with self-love, grace, and mercy. And continue to take a daily inventory to see how I'm doing.

I strive to be a better version of me every day. I try to work on the mental, physical, emotional and spiritual traits in my life. I hope to encourage others through my own vulnerability and sharing of my story. You may not have a run streak issue to deal with, but I challenge you to seek and discover what you have in your life that has become Pharisaical in nature.

As I head out to run on this beautiful sunny day, I’ll leave you with this verse from Hebrews 12:1-3:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

#celebraterecovery #iamfortified #fitness #pharisee #momentumrun #keyfitness #fortifiedfitness #running #perseverance