Today, you are to text or call someone from your inner circle and get together. It can be coffee, lunch, or an activity. For me, it involved some deep sacrifice.
In my humble opinion, people are only supposed to see 5:00 on their clocks one time a day… in the evening. This morning, I made an exception to go for a frigid morning run with someone in my inner circle.
Before you silently judge me for using this blog as an opportunity to humblebrag, just know that now I can barely walk. I went on the run for two main reasons.
- I want to be healthier.
I know that I am a better dad and husband when I have energy. Getting up at 5:00 feels counterintuitive to that goal, but in the long run, I have found that working out in some way gives me more energy to be present with my kids and wife the rest of the day.
- I want time with a friend.
In between vapid breaths, I am actually able to carry on a conversation with my friend while jogging. At the very least, I can ask about his life and week and he will do the talking since he is a better runner with more endurance than me.
The point is, don’t be afraid to sacrifice your comfort for the potential of good things.
I was not promised a good run. [What makes a run good, by the way? One that you survive?] I was not promised a good conversation on the run. The only thing I knew would come to me was a feeling of regret as I pulled away from the covers this morning and a brisk temperature in the 30s. All that I was promised was the potential of good things.
I hoped but was not promised that my friend would show up in the first place. I hoped but was not promised that we would talk on the run. I hoped but was not promised that I had the proper amount of clothing to run in the cold. I hoped but was not promised that I would actually feel good after the run.
Luckily for me, all of these things played out in my favor. Despite having to walk for significant portions of our route, I actually did feel good after the run. More importantly, I feel that this time that I portioned for relational growth accomplished what it was meant to accomplish.
I am not naive, and I know that not every experience on the journey to a deep community will be like this. It takes time, effort, and sacrifice to find the people who will grow with you. This blog is simply a reminder that it is worth it. Just like the pain I feel during a run leads to endurance and a healthy heart, the pain you feel in growing relationships will eventually lead to friendship, spiritual growth, and healthy church culture.
Reach out to someone today!
Jason Hundley 