Keep Moving Forward

This is an excerpt from my latest book, Practicing Faith.

      When Cyndi and I got married, I’m sure I was not ready (since I had no idea what “ready” meant), but I spent a lot of time preparing. I probably thought I was ready.

      Then we had our first child, Byron. We were neither prepared nor ready. God blessed us with a sweet baby boy before we had a clue, and we had to learn on the fly. Had we waited until we were ready, it’s possible we’d still be waiting.

      For my first marathon attempt, I thought I was prepared and ready, but the race showed me I wasn’t. I came back a year later with essentially the same training and fitness but with a greater respect for the distance and demands, and I was successful.

      When I made my first solo backpacking trip into the Guadalupes, I was neither prepared nor ready. I had inadequate gear and scant knowledge, but I went anyway because I was tired of my own excuses.

      As a writer, it took me way too long to finally publish my first book. I never thought I was ready. Now, working on my fifth, I realize I will never be fully prepared, and I’ll have to keep learning what I need to know through the writing process itself.

      Ultramarathon runner Dean Karnazes wrote about his first attempt at the Western States 100 and his run up the summit of Emigrant Pass and the peak of Granite Chief, at 9,050 feet elevation. As he neared the top, he found himself in a short line of runners waiting to get water at the aid station. He was in the classic runner’s position, bent over at the waist with hands on knees gasping for breath. One of the aid workers filled Dean’s water bottles and then said, “You’re not going to be able to catch your breath standing here, no matter how long you stay. We’re too high up in the sky.” (Ultra Marathon Man) His only hope was to keep moving.

      It’s important to know that sometimes we will never catch our breath, never catch up, never settle down, and our heart will always be racing. We will never be prepared enough for the next part of the journey. Our best option is to keep moving forward. Keep our legs moving.

The reason I am writing about this is because it’s bigger than mountain climbing or marathon running. How many ministry opportunities have we squandered because we didn’t think we were ready? How many people failed to get the help they needed because we weren’t finished preparing? How many times have we failed to follow God’s will claiming the sorry excuse that we aren’t ready yet?

      Seth Godin asked the question, “I wonder if there’s also a moral obligation to start?” He continued, “I believe that if you’ve got the platform and the ability to make a difference, then this goes beyond ‘should’ and reaches the level of ‘must.’ You must make a difference, or you squander the opportunity. Wasting the opportunity both degrades your own ability to contribute and, more urgently, takes something away from the rest of us. To do less is to steal from them.” (Poke the Box: When Was the Last Time You Did Something for the First Time?)

      Moving forward while feeling unready and ill prepared can be scary, I know. But we should be more afraid of lifelong regrets than temporary uncertainty. A life without fear is a life without accomplishment. Cyndi likes to remind me, “Do something brave every day.” That usually means being scared and not being ready. If we have the means and ability and passion, we are stealing if we don’t act.

“I run in the path of Your commands, for You have set my heart free.” Psalm 119:32