Hitting The Wall

Luke 5:16 As often as possible Jesus withdrew to out-of-the-way places for prayer.

While listening to the radio the other day on my drive to work, a runner was describing his ability to run 30 miles a day without hitting the wall. Hitting the wall is a term runners use to describe what happens when they are running and suddenly they feel extreme fatigue and loss of energy.

He went on to describe that endurance runners, those who run long distances even cross country, know that slow and steady are the keys to avoiding hitting the wall. He said there was a formula to endurance and that was to run and recover, run and recover, run and recover.

I began to think of ministry and how often we run but don’t recover and we end up hitting the wall. Jesus seemed to understand that the demands on his life required him to run and recover often. Over and over again in Scripture, Jesus heals, meets needs, preaches, teaches and then goes off to recover. Sometimes he takes his disciples with him. Other times he goes off alone but always he is running and recovering and endurance doesn’t seem to be a problem.

How often do you get away to pray alone? Do you make time and have a place in your life where the cell phone and the demands of daily life get left behind and the only thing that goes with you is a desire to pray and hear from God? Are you like some who are hitting the wall and wondering why you aren’t fulfilled in your calling and why you can’t seem to push beyond a certain place in your ministry?

Sometimes the most urgent thing you can do is rest. ~ Anonymous

If there is anything I have learned this year it’s to run and recover without regret. I used to feel lazy if I took a day off to sleep and rest. No longer is that a thought in my head. I use to feel bad if someone knocked on my front door on my day off and I didn’t want to answer. Not anymore. You see, I understand that if I am going to run this race to the finish, then endurance is key and recovery is necessary. It’s not an option. We must learn to be strategic. We must learn to not bow to every urgent need but instead focus and not lose sight nor neglect the important things in life.


3 thoughts on “Hitting The Wall

  1. If I fail anywhere on a regular basis, it’s in this area! I agree with what you’ve written (I’ve even written about it myself) but it seems to be the hardest thing in the world to actually control. When I think about it in realistic terms I know you’re right on the money. I know the workaholic mentality I grew up with conditioned my thinking, somewhat, but I can’t blame that entirely. Stepping out in faith brings with it a certain amount of risk, which then inspires anxiety in us if we’re not depending on God for our supply. Yet, I know the learning curve takes time to overcome the initial bad habits.

    Now I’m forcing myself to take one day a week at least to do nothing but rest and relax. The call of the urgent now is rest since my blood pressure went up and my heart rate is at its highest ever—and it’s not just because I’m in my 50s now but because I never slowed down. During my divorce I re-evaluated my lifestyle and decided to take time off on purpose.

    I’m still on the road to recovering lost ground in this area without guilt. God has been renewing my mind constantly and replacing bad habits of thinking with better. Thank-you for being a part of that process.

  2. The hardest part about biting off more than you can chew is the fact that, eventually​, you’re gonna choke. Think harder about the projects (people can be projects, too) that you choose to add to your life’s list of things to do. It’s easier to keep that extra weight off when you are smarter about what you put on your plate. Quote from a post called Cafe Courage

    1. I’ve choked on others expectations before which is the reason I’m on the road to recovering a sense of equilibrium about what is necessary and what isn’t. I tend to operate on guilt sometimes when I make decisions about getting involved with people or projects. I hit the wall a few years ago and have had to work on developing new habits while getting rid of the old ones. It hasn’t been easy because I’m so given to service—it’s one of my gifts in Christ; outside of Him it’s curse.

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