The Seven-Mile Challenge

I used to anticipate a cycling adventure, regardless of the length, and would often shoot from my driveway with a passion to excel and a desire to outperform previous workout statistics… enter early fatigue, a gut-wrenching biking experience, and a riding adventure that was grueling instead of stimulating.

I began to realize that if I would back down the early pace, if I would be willing to actually throttle back the velocity at the start, that the entire ride was not only more enjoyable, but more calculated, controlled, productive and actually quicker. If my lungs were heaving before I had broken a sweat, then something was wrong.

Even on a twelve-mile ride I discipline my pace to hold back until I’ve checked off the seventh mile. I’ve tested it over and over and it works.

It wasn’t until a few weeks ago that I came to realize that I had the same issue with my daily routine.

I looked quickly at the daily headlines in the Denver Post and then the first page of the Sports section…. by this time the coffee was done; I poured a cup, now more distracted than ever by a mounting heap of stuff that cluttered and consumed me.

Then, and only then, I picked up my Bible and sat down to read…

Game over. I’d lost. I had started to sprint from morning’s first light and there was no catching my breath. There was no seven-mile start to my day. I was pedaling for all I was worth, right from the start… and I wondered why I had a hard time focusing? Why the Word seemed distant and difficult? Why I was “winded” before I even started to read.

Ten days ago I started my day with seven miles of silence and reflection…

Before my BlackBerry. Before the Denver Post. Before a quick, harmless glance. Before everything…

Pace. Calm. Confession. Peace. Worship. Grace. Wonder. Joy. Resolve. Priority. Passion. Thought. Patience. Celebration. Reflection. Rhythm.

For seven miles…

What a difference.

Are you ready for the seven-mile challenge?