CROSStraining

Training.

The word itself can have many different facets. Soldiers go through many different kinds of it. Actors experience many different forms, such as vocal, movement, fencing (if they were in Pirates of the Caribbean or Lord of the Rings). You go through it anytime you have a new job. You push through it when involved in competitive sports. That's the training most of us are more experienced with. So lets think on that version of it for a moment...

We've all felt the soreness after a good workout. "My chest is so tight, its killing me...I had a GREAT workout!" That kind of pain is ok. I get excited by that kind of discomfort. Why? Because I now have proof that what I went through bears results.

We rarely see the results while we're in the weightroom. That's where the work is hard and the time goes by slowly. The sweat burns your eyes and your lungs explode during the conditioning. Your body is tired and your mind tells it things that aren't true. This time is very much...not fun.

I've noticed similarities in my life. Take my present situation. I'm 24, a full-time marketing rep and full-time grad student. I'm not married (which has pros and cons). I've got hobbies that lead to goals that I cannot reach right away at this stage in my life. I long for the day I'll have more opportunities to teach, preach, write, and lead. I want to write books. I want to start acting in local productions at Little Rock's theatre called "The Rep." One of my best friends and I would like to start a ministry together. I sometimes think I'd like to work in sports marketing. I sometimes think I'd like to work in advertising. I sometimes think I'd like to work in public relations (which I kinda do already I guess). I sometimes think I'd like to move to Hollywood for a year and pursue acting. Did I mention one of my goals is to be in a movie someday? I sometimes think I'd make a good fundraiser for a non-profit organization. Or a business communication consultant for fortune 500 companies.

I know, I know. All of these goals will not be reached. And I doubt I'll work in every career I just mentioned. I don't think I want to work in that many different careers. I'm at a somewhat weird place in life. There are many different directions life could take. As young as I am, there are many different paths God may lead me down throughout the course of my life, to spread seed in several different settings. I am not settled. I am not finished. I am not comfortable. I am...training. I am being trained. This is training time.

There is more I want to accomplish, do, and see. But there is much I am not ready for. I look forward to what is next. But I can think back and remember very fun times taking place in a weightroom. I'm glad I didn't let the pain and discomfort prevent me from making the most of and even enjoying my time there. Neither will I rush through this current phase.

What's next? God only knows, but I trust Him. I desire to seek Him with all my heart so that my own ambitions and yearnings will be lost and found within His palm. He has led me through previous times of uncertainty, through numerous times of want and need. Though the training may be long, the learning will be mine.

How about you? What kind of training are my brothers and sisters currently going through?