"Leaning into it"

I remember the first time I sprinted in high school. I was unusually fast in short races and almost by accident, I discovered the pure joy of leaning into a turn in the 200 meter dash. It was like chugging a quart of chocolate milk laced with caffeine. Hugging the post and running faster created runner's buzz and I was hooked. Leaning through the turns made all the difference. I found a new level of speed that had been hidden and all it took was a gentle lean. Leaning into our vocation and giving our all is especially beneficial as well.

(Stock photo: www.bing.com)

Another quotable quote from the leadership training the other day was repeated by several speakers. It could be the latest 'buzz' word or phrase. Nonetheless, the phrase, "Leaning into it" definitely

resonated with me. As the phrase has been rolling around in my brain, I have been consciously trying to implement the idea into everything I do.

Ha. Ha. It would look a little weird to eat my breakfast english muffin and yogurt with great gusto. It frightens me to visualize my driving through town with extreme speed and purpose. Cutting the grass would be a whole new adventure in cross-fit workout and a competitive sport. Okay, so 'leaning' into everything might not be practical. What do you do for a living? Do you work with precision and purpose. Is there great joy at the end of the day in your work being completed and it having made a difference?

"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with

all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your

hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along

the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on

your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

(Deuteronomy 6:4-9, NIV)

Giving our "all" to a foot race, a vocation, or our devotion to God is a choice. We don't have to be 'all in' but those areas will reflect our level of connection. Are we willing to show up on a regular basis and invest ourselves to the tasks before us? At the end of the day, others will be able to discern whether we 'leaned' into our day or coasted through it with no sense of urgency.

When we love God with 'all' our being, then we'll see huge dividends in all the other areas of our life. Our family, church, community, and world will all be improved because we chose to 'lean' into the day.

PS: Tomorrow, we'll talk about leaning forward!