Practice what you Preach

One of my "New Year's Resolutions" this year was to go through the Couch-to-5k program. I put that in quotes because the program only goes for a few months, so it certainly won't last a whole year. That is, if I continue. 

Heh. It's winter, and though in North Carolina that doesn't usually mean snow, this year has been a good one. As I'm writing this, there's a couple inches of real fluff on the ground, and it's been in the below-freezing range all day. Personally, I love it. I love staying inside, wrapped up in blankets and with a hot cup of tea, ready to hammer out a few more pages on my novel or blog posts. It's the most pleasant way to spend a day, in my opinion. 

So... running? I haven't gone in two weeks. 

Now, I know running is healthy. I know it's good to be disciplined, and to do hard things whether you feel like them or not. And, theoretically, I love exercise. It's good for you, it can be fun, and it has zero downsides. 

Except that it's hard. And makes me feel bad. And those are pretty big downsides when the alternative is staying inside where it's warm. 

This is just one example of how we, as fallen and broken people, don't act according to the truth. It's better for me to go running when I can then to stay home, or at least to do some kind of exercise so I don't lose all my strength. I know that, and I understand it. It's also better for me to clean my room, because an uncluttered environment always leads me to feeling more peaceful. But I look around and see my backpack, planner, and various sewing supplies all scattered over the floor, not to mention the laundry. 

What about habits like Bible-reading, or evangelism? What about prayer? How many times have we told someone, "I'll be praying for you," or "I'll keep you in my prayers," and then promptly forgotten? Too many times. Way too many times. 

Jesus knows what is in man (John 2:25) and he's addressed this. James 1:22 says, "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." Pretty strong language! Listening to the word without doing it isn't just neglect, it's self-deceit. I don't want to deceive myself. How about you? 

Habits like running or keeping your room clean are important, but they aren't on the same level as reading your Bible, faithful prayer, or spreading the word of the Gospel. We know these things are important. But it's all too easy to rationalize our duties away. We avoid legalism by throwing out the Law; we tell ourselves that we already know the Bible from hearing it in church every Sunday; we don't evangelize, because after all, only God can change a person's heart. 

I've fallen prey to these objections as much (probably more, if I'm honest) than the next Christian. It's so easy to rationalize. But God uses our duty. It isn't legalism to do the actions that we ought to—rather, it's hypocrisy not to. We can preach from the pulpit about the brokenness of the world, but what about doing something to heal that brokenness? Talking to a neighbor? Inviting them to church? Volunteering at a local pregnancy center? Or even giving money, if that's within your means?

We can't fix everything, but God can use us to make a change. And to do that, we need to practice what we preach. 

I pray that God can use me to make a change, no matter how small. And I hope that I can use my time in this world right now to prepare for that... starting by going on a run. 

As soon as the snow melts.