Press On!

“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”– Philippians 3:12-14

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This last weekend was a good one – full of some rest, some action, some social time, some quiet moments. We had a friend’s daughter over for a sleepover and movie night (so fun! We bought candy and watched “Paddington” – perfect!), enjoyed church with a new candidating pastor (and sermon based on the above passage), and saw family (always so valuable!). We rested and didn’t move much Saturday and then I went on an 11 mile run around the Glenmore Reservoir and on trails Sunday in the beautiful sunshine and then crepes for dinner with friends! Like I said, a mix of everything!

Mikey and Shawna in our fort + candy + a movie!

Working on my fitness – in and outside the gym! Clad in 2XU gear in both photos – top tank (in cover photo for this post) + bottom short & sleeves; Eleven By Venus cap sleeve T below. Not an affiliate of either company, but both companies I believe in and use personally! Enter code: Team11BonnieL for a 10% discount at checkout for Eleven By Venus, and order compression gear because you WILL benefit from it!

Stretching out part-way through my run (right before I ran – literally – into old clients! So good to catch up with them on the trail!).

11 miles run & done!

(Thanks, Steve & Deona – these were delish!)

Staying true to my #MayMotivation by drinking water before eating my air-popped (in coconut oil) popcorn – so easy and delish! What are you working on in May?

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In the midst of a very normal and otherwise quiet weekend, I’ve been thinking a lot about change. We are on the cusp of an extremely busy summer (I’m talking one free weekend for us as a couple – Mikey has more going on with school and work than I do on weekends – from June through August!), getting excited for lots of river trips in various forms, and are anticipating changes in work for Mikey in the fall. Hopefully in not much more time he will be done his Masters and looking for the next step! But isn’t it hard to find the right place to live sometimes? Caught between the past, the present and the future?

It’s easy for me to think about our “next steps” and focus on that part of the journey, discussing possible plans and praying for discernment with decisions to come. But in light of Sunday’s sermon and something else I read this weekend, my perspective has been realigned. Paul is talking about forgetting the past (what lies behind – the things that may be holding you back from moving forward in your life), straining toward what lies ahead (looking with eagerness, not fear, to the future) and living in the present by pressing on. Isn’t that neat? It’s especially cool because I’m doing the Powerful Pressing program, which I referenced in my last post.

It doesn’t you mean you disregard the past. It doesn’t mean you let it rule you, either. Pressing on doesn’t mean you move into the future without regard for what’s happening around you in the present. It also doesn’t mean you live today like there’s no tomorrow. But it’s purposeful. It’s not controlled by fear or worry, but with a continual striving, focus and push.

I love that! Although we’re not sure what this busy summer will hold in many regards and what the fall will look like, we press on. Although being away 7 out of 8 weeks this summer isn’t conducive to saving money and buying a house seems like years away, we press on (and enjoy those 7 weeks of adventures!). Because it’s not about your job, about how much money you have, about being scared about the future. I really don’t put stock in those things, but it’s easy to start comparing yourself to others, and we know that comparison is the thief of joy, because all those things (money, work, a home, etc) aren’t bad! But all of our journeys are different, so comparing doesn’t help at all. Instead, we press on, fixing our eyes on Christ and not our worries or even our successes along the way.

I was reading this morning another of Paul’s great passages in Ephesians 1:17, where Paul is explaining to the Ephesians how encouraged he’s been by their faith and love and describes how he’s praying for them:

“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.” This struck me, because I often think of “wisdom and revelation” relating to having discernment about decisions. But Paul doesn’t pray those things for them in order that they might make good decisions concerning their futures. No – he prays for those attributes in order that they might know Jesus better. Wow. How easy it is to lose sight of what we are pressing on towards – knowing Jesus better! Not progressing in life or what’s coming up ahead.

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Just wanted to share what I’ve been processing lately. I’ll throw it back to you now – What are YOU pressing on towards in life? I’d love to hear what it is and where your focus is at. Also, what are you PRESSING these days in the weight room? Any good challenges you’re working on?

Live well & be well, my friends! And as my dad (and Paul!) would say, press on.

Bonnie

PS – I posted this video Monday morning and didn’t realize that the Switchfoot line, “Every saint has got a past, every sinner’s got a future; only you can save my soul,” which is one of my favorite lines ever, fits with this post – and I’m pressing! Thought I’d share because it fit so well:

A video posted by Bonnie Lang (@bonnielangfitness) on May 4, 2015 at 12:51pm PDT