Pressing Toward the Mark

     For a few months I have been trying to diet and lose some of the extra weight that I have acquired over the last several years. Recently when I went to weigh in, I had REACHED MY GOAL! Now, I will admit that I set my goal on the high end of the scale, but I was so excited. Well, it was the week of Christmas and also my birthday. So of course, what did I do? I went out for a nice dinner AND ate ice cream. Then on Christmas Eve and Christmas I ate cookies and desserts, and all the other good things. And of course you know what happened! I put two pounds back on in that short amount of time. I didn’t even want to go to the Weight Watcher’s meeting that week because I didn’t want to weigh in and lose my Lifetime member status that I had just achieved. So now...it’s back to being good again!

     The other morning as I was walking, I was thinking about this dilemma and wondered why in the world I set my goal so high. I should have made it 5 pounds lighter so I wouldn’t have to worry so much about gaining a pound or two! Why is it that we always want to just do enough to get by? Or at least I do that!

     Spiritually speaking, I wonder if sometimes we do the same thing. We get to a spiritual level where we want to be and then find ourselves coasting, thinking “I’m good now, I can relax,” and consequently we end up losing some of that fervor and passion. And then it’s a fight to get it back. What we need to do instead is plunge into God’s Word and prayer deeper than ever and keep going — not just do enough to get by! We cannot slack off because we will find ourselves again in a spiritual slump. As Paul wrote, “I PRESS toward the mark of the high calling in Christ Jesus!”

     So let’s do the right thing! Determine that we are going to do all we know to do to keep on a spiritual high — that’s where we need to find ourselves every day. Don’t be satisfied with where you are — Go the second mile and keep plunging deeper!!!!