Hammer on Anvil '

In high school, I ran cross country all four years. So from August to November, I was running almost every day. The courses we ran on for meets were difficult at times, but overall cross country was enjoyable. What was not so enjoyable is the training. I didn't have an Ipod, so the miles could become tedious. Even worse were the speed workouts, especially one called a fartlek (more fun to say than do). We complained about these the most, because there did not seem to be any immediate benefit.


On a blog I like to read called The Art of Manliness, a recent post was called The Gains of Drudgery. He defines drudgery as: "work that in itself is not pleasant, that has no immediate effect in stimulating our best powers, and that only remotely serves the purpose of our general advancement." For undergrad students, these are GenEds. For those in high school it is homework and that time between 8 & 3 M-F, (just kidding).

We complain about these tedious tasks, the mundane work, and much more. Yet, as I look back to those days in cross country, I remember that if not for all that hard work I put in to training, I would not have been able to compete well when it counted. Remember Jesus' words in the parable of the talents:
"You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things."

Brett