Wayne Cordeiro, an author I’ve worked with, has felt this way, but pressed forward anyway. For the past 35 years, Wayne has worked as a pioneering preacher. He’s entered some of the roughest areas of Hawaii’s cities and helped people lead better lives. All people are welcome at his churches, including gang members, prostitutes, drug dealers, and the homeless. The calling is rewarding. But the calling is tough. The 60-year-old, Harley-riding, son of an Army first sergeant says he has got a lot of good years behind him, but he’s not ready to quit any time soon.
So how does he keep going?
A few years back, Wayne signed up for one of the most grueling water races in Hawaii’s oceans. He began an intensive training regime. Each day for eight months, he ran, lifted weights, and paddled for hours. He knew he would need strength and endurance to paddle his canoe the 41-miles across a treacherous channel between Molokai and Oahu. Currents run swift, and waves can exceed 8 feet.
At 6:30 a.m. on race day, Wayne hit the ocean along with 100 other racers. The five-hour race exploded to a start. The first hour, he paddled on pure adrenaline. The second hour, he dug deeper. The third hour, the pace took its toll, and racers began to drop out. By the fourth hour, Wayne was in agony. He wondered why he had ever signed up for the race. He arms and back cramped. He struggled to breathe. His eyes ached in the constant glare of the sun.
Just when he was at the point of giving up, a thought rushed at him. This was exactly what he had been training for. Not for the race, but for this precise moment in the race. Anyone can begin a race—it’s easy to have energy then. And the end isn’t the hard part either—anyone can sprint to the finish.
You train for the middle.
The middle is when no one is around or cheering. It’s when everything in you screams to quit. It’s the point where you’re depleted and long to drop out. That exact moment is what you train to overcome.
“I realized that if I dropped out of the canoe race,” Wayne said, “then it would nullify the hundreds of hours I’d put into preparing for this very moment in the race. Suddenly it was like nitrous oxide was added to my tank. I dug my paddle in deep and pressed forward. It ended up being my best race.”
How about you? What do you do when you want to go live in a van down by the river? How have you prepared for the precise moment you’re tempted to quit your calling, or be unfaithful to your spouse, or stomp out of a board meeting in anger, or give up your race?
16 comments:
I pray to God if he might help me reaching the finish line, after I almost quit on myself.
Amen, Tobias. I think many men can relate with you there.
Well put thoughts on that moment. 8 years into our marriage, my wife and I had an "experience" that seems a good parallel. On a trip through the American southwest, we had stopped at Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado and decided to walk to the top of the nearest dune to see the view. We found out quickly that appearances are deceiving and that the climb was both longer and more arduous than we intitially thought. Add to that a 20 mile an hour wind that had sand blowing into every crevice and body crease and about 2/3rds the way up we were stopping every couple steps, looking back at our car in the distance and considering giving up. We decided to persevere out of pure will, and about 15 feet from the top, the wind quieted, the vista came into view and it was pure spiritual bliss! From that moment on when things got tough for us we harkened back to that good decision to keep putting one foot in front of the other. Training for the middle is exactly right because that's where the battle is often won, 2/3rds of the way up.
Great comment! What a cool experience for you and your wife. thanks
During the most challenging parts of marathons I have conversations in my head as if I'm talking to family members discussing whatever struggle I'm experiencing. That somehow gets me through the moment. I also keep thinking if all the people around me are doing it, I can certainly do it too.
Good story! I think it's perfectly natural for all of us to hit that moment of "dropping out" in the middle and I think that "middle" hits us throughout our lives from various events. I turned 43 today...and even though it isn't exactly middle-aged I still feel in the middle of life. Add to the equation that I've been married almost 22 years and adjusting to the empty-nest stage and I most certainly am in the middle of many life-races! But, you are so right Marcus, I've been training for this from the beginning and I think what gets me through is wondering what's over the hill (so to speak). It's time to sit down, take a 5-minute breather, and keep on going!
Kaylee--I'm impressed you run marathons. Good technique of self-talk. Thanks.
Karen--Happy birthday!!! And good point about the middle hitting us at various events.
Valuable post, Marcus, and especially so for a number of my friends. I'm going to pass it on.
I try and keep my focus on the goal...and let God take care of the details in getting there.
Thanks Rosslyn,
and thanks unknown. Good thoughts.
Excellent article. During my last half marathon I was hurting and falling off pace for my goal. The crowds had thinned and other runners were passing me constantly. The thought came to me crystal clear... you can either do what you trained for, or regret this forever. I dug deep and hit my goal with 40 seconds to spare. Thanks for reminding me.
I agree with Steve. Thinking about all the preparation you've done to reach this point and how it would feel not to achieve your goal is definitely a great motivator when you find yourself with physical or mental obstacles.
For me, this helped to bring about a moment of true insight. I now realize that many times in the past I have not taken personal accoutablility during times of failure and lost opportunities, but instead have looked to others, or to a set of circumstances, to blame. In those situations, I simply gave up. The going got rough, I quit trying; typically with much anger and hurt feelings. I am proud to say that since reading this on Tuesday, I have been in two situations that previously would not have had successful outcomes because I would have let frustration and anger get in the way. When I recognized that all to familiar pattern, I prayed for the strength to dig deeper to accomplish what needed to be done. Guess what happened?
I am truly thankful to God for bringing your words to me, Marcus, and that you have been given this gift to enlighten.
Chris & Amp--thanks, your comment made my day.
Thanks Kaylee
Thanks Steve
I started training for MMA a few months ago. I was in horrible shape and really needed a change in lifestyle. My coach has been all the drive I have needed to keep me going when he pushes me to that "give up" point that comes through my mind. He knows my breaking point and he pushes me to it and then tells me, "this is where you wanna give up and quit....this is where your heart kicks in! Now lets do it, ALL HEART NOW!"
I always push through and finish. He knows I won't quit and that's why he keeps pushing me. He knows my goal is in sight and that I'll get there and have my first amateur fight next year at the age of 43. Thanks for the extra inspiration Marcus!
So blessed to call Pastor Wayne a friend and our pastor (at New Hope Oahu). He truly leads not just well, but by example. His latest book, Irresistible Church, trains us to be a church that is Irresistible not to people, but to God. Blessed to read this blog about a pastor so dear to many of our hearts here in Hawaii nei and around the world.
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