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Cal's Pastoral Epistles
"Just Keep Rowing"
June 10, 2009
The old song goes "Row, row, row your boat gently down the stream." On
Saturday morning our team was rowing but no on would accuse us of
living the merry dream.
I was invited to participate in the Dragon Boat races at River Fest last
weekend. I was pretty excited. I watched a few of the races last year and
they looked like a lot of fun. When Michelle asked me if I was interested in
rowing with the Air Raiders from the local radio station, I said "yes" without
missing a beat.
I am competitive so I was pleased to learn that this team finished third last
year. Dave, one of the leaders on the team, said the key to victory was
working together and rowing in sync.
"How hard could that be?" I thought. Then I got in the boat. As I was
rowing frantically in that first heat, banging oars with the person in front of
me and splashing the person in back of me, I suddenly realized that some
things look easier to do than they really are.
I should have known that. It is true with everything. A lot of people think
that living the Christian life is easy. Nothing could be farther from the truth.
Just because you know what you should do, doesn't mean you will always
do it.
The apostle Paul pointed this out in a classic passage in his epistle to the
Romans. He says, "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I
do not do, but what I hate I do." Doing the right thing doesn't come
naturally. You have to work at it. It takes practice.
That was true on Saturday. We got better each time we were in the boat.
We analyzed what we did wrong and made plans to improve. I'm sure that
if we had run ten more races, we would have looked like a different team.
That's how it is with our Christian walk as well. The longer we walk in
faith, the better we will do. So don't be discouraged if you have slipped a
few times. Keep working at it each day. Keep your oars in the water and
row, row, row.
God Bless! See you in Church. Cal
June 10, 2009
The old song goes "Row, row, row your boat gently down the stream." On
Saturday morning our team was rowing but no on would accuse us of
living the merry dream.
I was invited to participate in the Dragon Boat races at River Fest last
weekend. I was pretty excited. I watched a few of the races last year and
they looked like a lot of fun. When Michelle asked me if I was interested in
rowing with the Air Raiders from the local radio station, I said "yes" without
missing a beat.
I am competitive so I was pleased to learn that this team finished third last
year. Dave, one of the leaders on the team, said the key to victory was
working together and rowing in sync.
"How hard could that be?" I thought. Then I got in the boat. As I was
rowing frantically in that first heat, banging oars with the person in front of
me and splashing the person in back of me, I suddenly realized that some
things look easier to do than they really are.
I should have known that. It is true with everything. A lot of people think
that living the Christian life is easy. Nothing could be farther from the truth.
Just because you know what you should do, doesn't mean you will always
do it.
The apostle Paul pointed this out in a classic passage in his epistle to the
Romans. He says, "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I
do not do, but what I hate I do." Doing the right thing doesn't come
naturally. You have to work at it. It takes practice.
That was true on Saturday. We got better each time we were in the boat.
We analyzed what we did wrong and made plans to improve. I'm sure that
if we had run ten more races, we would have looked like a different team.
That's how it is with our Christian walk as well. The longer we walk in
faith, the better we will do. So don't be discouraged if you have slipped a
few times. Keep working at it each day. Keep your oars in the water and
row, row, row.
God Bless! See you in Church. Cal
Pastor Cal Lord writes these weekly epistles to
help us see God in every day things.
help us see God in every day things.
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