Category: Word Prompts

I Would Walk 500 Miles

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This month, I ran a 6.5 mile leg of a marathon relay. After three or four miles, I noticed that the refrain of 500 Miles (I’m Gonna Be) was playing in my head – the only words I knew. Later, I looked up the lyrics. At all times, no matter what the singer is doing, he is so devoted to the one he loves that he’ll go twice the distance.

But I would walk 500 miles
And I would walk 500 more
Just to be the man who walks a thousand miles
To fall down at your door

Before this song got stuck in my head, I had been thinking about writing a retrospective post about the past 500 days – about the spiritual angst I feel as a follower of Christ living under the Trump presidency. But the song made me think that I should be looking forward and not backward.

When I am drowning, I know I’m gonna be,
I’m gonna be the sinner saved by you.
When I’m hurting, I know I’m gonna be,
I’m gonna be the one healed by you.
When I’m lost, yeah I know I’m gonna be
I’m gonna be a disciple following you.
When this world falls apart, dear Lord, I’m gonna be
I’m gonna be the one trusting you.
But I would walk 500 miles
And I would walk 500 more
Just to be the one who walks a thousand miles
To stand outside your door.

Before I ran my relay, I went through several weeks of training to improve my speed and endurance. When we all finished, everyone of us got a medal, just like those who ran the whole distance.

I am not running to get a medal that will not last. My reward is eternal life with Jesus.

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. – 1 Corinthians 9:24-26 (NIV)

via Daily Prompt: Retrospective

Finding the courage to let go

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I confess that I feel a bit guilty about unfriending people on social media, even if the relationships are superficial. But I think that when you get older, you realize that you don’t have the time for drama. You don’t see the point of wasting your emotional energy on battles you cannot win.

At the beginning of the year, after reading a book on spiritual maturity, I resolved to be more authentic. That meant being free to be me without worrying about what people think of me. Something interesting happened when I decided to be the real me. In letting go of my need to be accepted by others, I found the courage to let go of people whose worldviews are diametrically opposed to mine.

While I can still accept the people I can not change, I accept that sometimes there are irreconcilable differences, as in views on gun control, or the freedom to protest peacefully, or on immigration or the separation of church and state. The religious and political environment we live in highlights the great divide between us.

Facebook made it easy to establish a social connection with classmates or relatives. But if I am honest with myself, I don’t have much in common with many of them. I am no longer willing to pretend that we have anything meaningful in common. We don’t even share the same zip code.

Guilt, with the click of a button, I’m letting you go too. And I won’t even say goodbye.

via Daily Prompt: Guilty

Broken Assumptions

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When I make an assumption, I accept that something is true without proof. When I make an educated guess, I have some knowledge about what to expect so my assumption is likely to be correct. Unfortunately, my assumptions are often broken. Sometimes my trust is misplaced. Sometimes, I expect a certain outcome because I wrongly assume that other people share my values or expectations.

I learned this lesson several years ago at my job. I have a strong work ethic. I go to work to work. I assumed that my boss also had a work ethic and that all employees would be held accountable to the same standards. I was wrong. I learned that he cared more about being seen as a nice guy by my slacker coworker than about making sure the work got done.

I used to assume that our democracy was strong. I believed that our elections were legitimate. I believed that my vote matters. I believed that the separation of powers would prevent one branch of government from overreaching. I was wrong.

I used to assume that facts and truth matter to everyone. I was wrong. Conspiracy theories abound. Untruthful people peddle “alternative facts” and people continue to listen to them. The president lies several times a day and his supporters don’t care. Individuals adapt not only to their own dishonesty but also to that of others.

I used to assume that Christians cared about immorality – the aforementioned lack of honesty, for example. As a Matthew 25 Christian, I assumed that Christians cared about the “least of these.” I accepted as true that followers of Jesus would care about refugees, immigrants, the uninsured, etc. I am sad to say that millions of Christians proved me wrong.

People let me down when I make assumptions about their values and character without proof. Broken assumptions have made me much less trusting of my fellowman. It’s made me cynical.

via Daily Prompt: Assumption

When Patience Wears Thin

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Patience is one of my greatest strengths. Impatience is one of my most frustrating weaknesses. How can this be?

In normal circumstances, I am patient. I have enough self-control to wait. I believe my patience will be rewarded. I don’t feel the need to control other people. I can accept that things won’t always go my way. I can suffer through situations that others would find insufferable. I can see light at the end of the tunnel.

At other times, my patience wears thin, which implies that it was thick to begin with.

If I am feeling stressed or overwhelmed, patience is the first virtue to go. Things that would otherwise not even phase me annoy the heck out of me. People get on my last nerve. Maybe it is because when I am stressed, I need all of my emotional energy to deal with it. I have nothing left to give.

My patience also wears thin if I am faced with the same trying situation over and over again. I don’t like to be distracted when I am trying to concentrate. I don’t like to be interrupted or to have my plans thrown into disarray. I can put up with these little annoyances a few times but eventually my patience wears thin.

The first patience-thinning situation is a sign that something in my life needs to change. The second situation is really a matter of personality; my introverted mind needs peace and quiet.

via Daily Prompt: Thin

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The Core of the Gospel

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Today the sermon at my church was based on 1 John 2:18-29. In this passage, John warned believers against antichrists, anyone who denies that Jesus is the Christ. In the new church, there were many false teachers trying to lead Jesus’s followers astray. John said, I’m not writing to you because you don’t know the truth. You do know the truth. See to it that the gospel message you heard from the beginning remains in you.

As for you, see that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father.

What is the core message of the gospel that remains in me?

  • We all sin
  • God still loves us
  • Jesus intercedes for us
  • We are to love one another, as he loved us

Of course, there is much more to the message I have heard than this. But at its core, the message of Jesus Christ is the redeeming power of God’s love.

via Daily Prompt: Core