The First Bite

This morning I managed to get the bike pedal all the way around. That may not seem impressive at all to those who learned to ride a bike at age 4, but for those who have wrestled with "range of motion" it makes sense why it is an accomplishment worth noting. I am not supposed to have any real resistance quite yet, but the biking motion is supposed to keep the fluids from pooling in the joint and also start rebuilding some strength.

Yet, in the grand scheme of things, it is a very small step. I would much prefer to be getting on the bike to ride hard for an hour or so, but right now that is not prudent (and maybe not possible). I am not by nature very patient with myself and my limitations, so this will be a test. But without these small steps that seem so little, there will be no real progress, healing, or movement toward real health.

I wonder how often I have started some discipline that would be of great benefit in the long run, but have abandoned the effort early on because it seemed to be so small or the end goal so far off? In my mind I know that "the longest journey begins with a single step" and "the way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time." But sometimes I get paralyzed by the enormity of the ultimate task rather than the progress of each small step in the right direction. A better approach for me would be to celebrate that I rode this morning, rather than looking at how far out of condition I feel or how many mornings it will take to get back to full activity.

My faith journey is a similar experience ion some ways. At times it is almost paralyzing to think about how far I have yet to go in pursuing Christlikeness. My shortcomings loom far larger than the gold stars marking my progress. But I wonder if it would be healthier to focus more on today's progress than on tomorrow's spiritual To-Do list. Today I can only do something about today. Tomorrow I can work on tomorrow's To-Do list.

If running and biking are any example, it won't be long before a focus on what needs to be done today will both keep me plenty busy and also give me enough progress to celebrate tomorrow.

Working on Enjoying the Elephant,
-Ken