This morning walking into my building, I saw the security guard had waited and held the door open for me.  I jokingly said, “You are too kind to be waiting on this slow turtle.”  His response was, “the turtle always wins.”  We laughed as he reminded me about the turtle and the hare story.  As he recapped the story I was reminded about the race we run in life.  We often get a bit anxious and frustrated when the process in our race is going at such a slow pace.  We want to see results…and fast.  We start to feel discouraged and at times even quit.  We miss out on the progress we have been making all along because all we see is the hare (life) running before us just passing us up.  We allow ourselves to be discouraged just because it’s taking far too long to reach our overall goal.  We don’t see the accomplishments made along the way. 

One great example is a college student.  They want to hurry up and get their education in as little time as possible to hurry up and get out into corporate world hoping to land that big job with the big salary.  What they don’t often realize is this process takes time.  It takes years to fulfill that education and coming out of college doesn’t guarantee that big paying job.  It takes steps and years at times before their overall goal is met.  It takes sheer determination and persistence to keep going.  Same goes with someone like me that finished writing a book and now pursues publishing.  I can’t expect to land the first publisher or gain the attention of the first literary agent and I surely can’t expect to have my book on a shelf in Barnes & Noble instantly.  This will take time, a process.  Another prime example are new Christians.  As a new believer we make ourselves believe we have to hurry up and make those changes.  We have to instantly change our ways to be right with God.  We don’t see the progress we are making along the way.  Many only focus on the overall picture they assume is what God wants.  A perfect Christian.  Well good news, there is no perfect Christian and the spiritual growth process is never ending and that’s the beauty of it.  There is always something new I discover with God, about myself and Him.  It will all take time and with my spiritual growth and I look forward to all God has in store for me.

The race we are running is a slow and steady pace of accomplishments even beyond the hurdles.  We can’t just focus on those hurdles afraid of them knocking us down or slowing us down.  We must be steadfast in our pace and pursue our goals and dreams with all our might.  The hare didn’t win his race because he was faster than the turtle.  He became careless and overlooked what needed to be done and lost his focus.  He was so sure of himself he lost all focus on the race.  We do the same thing when we see everything falling into place at a rapid pace assuming we are almost at the finish line.  When in reality those things that fell into place so fast were simply distractions we assumed were part of our goal.  Be focused on your race and look beyond the distraction.  Stay determined and pressing forward in your race.  Before you know it, the turtle will have reached the finish line…slow and steady. 

XOXO…Ileen

psst…God Loves You

“Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,  I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 3:13-14