I looked at the outside temperature and thought, “It’s warm enough. Snowshoeing it is.” I didn’t pay attention to the wind chill which can make it feel much colder than the temperature listed. I bundled up and headed out. It didn’t take me long to realize that I should invest in snow pants. Long johns were just not enough to keep my legs warm. I knew it would feel better once I had been moving for awhile, so I pressed on.

Snowshoeing has always been a great way for me to spend time with God. With the start of the new year, I’m longing for clear direction from Him. I thought snowshoeing would bring me all my answers, yet all I could think about was Olympic commercials. Have you seen them? They are all over the the TV. Skiing, bobsledding, even curling images have been flashed before for me during the nightly news. Now, I’m out in the woods and the only thing on my mind is the Olympics.

I started to think about how hard the athletes train. The intensity and dedication they put into each hour of training makes my day look like a nap. I know God has a plan set out for me but I don’t pursue it with olympic intensity. I’m constantly looking for the short cut or the easy route. Even as I was out on the trail today, I came to a fork in the path. I looked to the right. It had been groomed by snowmobiles. I looked to the left. It looked untouched. Blazing new trail in snowshoes can be fun, but it is a lot of work. I wasn’t sure I was up for the work. Then I remembered this scripture from Hebrews:

Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls! Hebrews 12: 1-3

Ugh. I knew which way I had to go. I needed to stop looking for short cuts or the easy way and with olympic intensity head out on the path He has set before me. The humbling part of all of this-the new trail wasn’t hard to blaze. We have had so much wind these las few days that the bulk of the snow had drifted off to one side. How easy it is for me to forget that when God calls us down a path, He goes before us and prepares the way.

How about you? What is God calling you to accomplish? What is holding you back? Are you ready to jump in with olympic intensity? Leave a comment and share how you are running the race set before you.