The Truth About Training

This week is the final week of training for two of my daughters, Elisabeth and Christina, as they will be running their first half-marathon on Sunday morning at Disney World. They have been training for the last four months.  I have loved watching them train because for me it is such a picture of what I must do every day in my personal and spiritual life.

I must train my body and spirit to run in such a way as to win the prize.  The girls would never have been able to make it to this point, if their attitude was that they were just going to try to do it.  Trying never wins.

Training is HARD. Anything that has personal value is never easy.  I have been pondering the word diligence. The dictionary defines diligence as a persistent and hard-working effort in doing something. There is another side of diligence that is equally important. In the book, The Richest Man Who Ever Lived, Steven Scott says, “It is not just about working at something with persistence but it is about doing it right – expeditiously, efficiently, and effectively. Diligence is a learned skill that combines creative persistence, a smart working effort rightly planned and rightly performed.” I have discovered several things that I want to share as it relates to life, diligence, and homeschooling.

• Every day I must pay attention to what I am doing. What is in my schedule? When am I going to accomplish what needs to be done? If I am either too busy or have no idea what the day holds, I will not have a clear idea of what I must do next.

• I must constantly keep my eye on the end, the prize, if you will, for the effort I am putting forth.

• Life is hard when doing it alone. I must find others to help me!

So, let me share a few ideas with you. Do not give up. Apply your heart with all diligence, do the hard things even when quitting seems so much easier. The lessons that you will learn along the way will never be understood if you simply quit.

Homeschooling is not easy. It is not an easy commitment. It takes creative persistence and smart working effort. You cannot expect to be successful, if you do not take time to plan and train. If you are feeling weak in the area of organization or persistence, take time to learn. Find a mentor, read books, talk to others you admire, but do not stop seeking ways to grow.

You cannot do it alone. You need support. Find another homeschooler that you admire. Spend time together learning all you can. Establish the reason for your commitment and keep it before you every day.

This time of year gets hard. You want school to be over but it is not. You must push through, for when you do you will reach a new level, you will become stronger, you will look back with great pleasure because you never gave up.

Keep doing the hard things and BEG GOD for strength and you will LOVE the person you will become.

I Corinthians 9:24-25

Hebrews 12:1-2

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1. 

   Linda Buskirk says:

   February 21, 2011 at 9:26 am

   Linda,
   Thanks for this encouraging reminder. I believe this is so important to remind ourselves, as well as our kids, of why we are here and what race we are running.
   God Bless,
   Linda
2. 

   Tracey Wozniak says:

   February 21, 2011 at 2:27 pm

   While “trying never wins” I do believe it can be the open door to the training. Rather than being opposite of each other, one can lead to the next. I see the two as working together. One inviting the idea and the other moving from attempt to flawless execution in order to accomplish all the God has planned. Sometimes we have the opportunity to ponder what the Lord would have us TRY before we even know how to train. Both being a part of the success process.
3. 

   Linda Werner says:

   February 22, 2011 at 5:48 am

   Tracey–you are correct…Our tries will always be the first step, but I have found that the “attitude” of trying is never strong enough to help me complete what I have set out to do. Your training for the half has been a focus on not only the event but ALL that you want to gain from the training. I cannot wait to see you on Sunday!
4. 

   Brian Doyle says:

   February 24, 2011 at 8:08 pm

   I really agree that diligence is a learned skill. Consequently, it is one of the primary skills that moms and dads can be modeling and teaching in a homeschool setting. Proverbs has a couple dozen verses on diligence. Here is one I share with my children over and over: Proverbs 12:24 ‘The hand of the diligent will rule, but the lazy man will be put to forced labor’. It is not the talented and it is not the gifted – but it is the diligent.
5. 

   Tai Manabat says:

   September 30, 2011 at 2:18 pm

   That is an excellent verse, Brian. Thanks for sharing. I am going to print that one out and put in on my frig! We have all been truly blessed with the quality of families that have come together at CCS and the positive influences that surround our children. We have been truly blessed by the loving, wise and diligent team members of CCS that so carefully plan and prepare and support us as we come together to educate our children. Thank you, thank you for your very tender and caring hearts.

   Tai Manabat