Striding over Striving
When my son Levi was a toddler he was famous for saying many things, but the one zinger that always made us chuckle was “I don’t like that…I like it the OLD way.” He wasn’t old enough to like the old things but what he knew was what he wanted! The way he had done it before was his desire for the future!
Do you know what you want? Of course you do! How will you get there? If you were to say, “I want to ______.” You would probably have a good idea of how to get there. There’s a template, a prior experience, or an app for that! All you have to do is work at it. The word “Strive” comes to mind. If I just reach a little further. Try one more time. Work harder. Work smarter. My time will come if I just strive more. When I’m tired I’ll rest just a second and strive some more! This is all about me, my effort, and my goal!
I was given an opportunity to go to Swizerland in 2004. I was 26 and extremely motivated to ride my bike and run. I had completed a year of cycling professionally and while that was an amazing experience I wanted a bit more control over my schedule. To quote Levi I wanted it the “old way”! I decided to pursue duathlon, which is kinda the stepsister to triathlon. It’s running and cycling and it’s wonderfully difficult!
The pinnacle of that sport is a race in Zofingen, Switzerland. I knew the terrain would be hilly and I needed to be ready. So I trained hard. I did crazy bike rides followed up by big runs. I strived. And I came down with a bad case of mononucleosis in May. Cue the sad music.
May passed. June passed. July came and went. August rolled around and I was still sitting, sleeping, and fretting about the race that was just weeks away. My case of mono vanished in just enough time to get a few weeks of riding and running under me. We set off for Switzerland with a whole lot of eagerness and even more nervousness. I hadn’t prepared in any way like I wanted to. My striving was held back…and probably for the better!
That year I finished 16th overall, which was shocking to me because I had maybe 1/3 of the miles in my legs that I thought I needed. I hadn’t run anywhere close to the race distance and there I was, trotting around the Swiss countryside like I belonged there. My striding was more sufficient than my striving.
My success at our first trip to Switzerland ignited a fire in me; we had to go back! If I finished 16th the first time what would happen if I actually worked all summer at my goal? You can tell that striving entered the scene again…striding wasn’t enough. I had resorted to my old ways again.
The miles piled up and our plane took off for Switzerland for year number two. I was eager. Ambitious. I was going to make this happen! And as I rode my bike on the course the day before the race it did happen; I tagged a curb and launched myself into a farmers field, sliding across a Swiss sidewalk, and striving into a sea of doubt.
I plucked myself up, tried to pull my shredded spandex over my behind and soft-pedaled 15 miles back to our homestay family’s house to get patched up and smoothed over. My race was over in my mind but I was still going to toe the line the next day in bandages and a shattered ego. I would try to just finish the race since we came the whole way to Switzerland for me to do this silly race. Keep striving I guess.
Then I was re-introduced to striding. The first run I kept pace with the pack and watched as others ran off the front and into the lead. My strides were quick, but they weren’t in anger, rage, or even at the hardest effort I could muster. I just ran my race.
The same thing continued on the bike and for miles I had many riders around me. As time passed I noticed more riders coming back to me. My striding wasn’t any faster or at a harder effort, it was just steady and consistent. Even when I thought I wasn’t “racing” like in my striving state of mind I was on the move!
I entered the second run in 9th place and hit my stride. Over the hills and throughout the next 2 hours I was placed into the 3rd position overall. It was amazing at how in my prior way of thinking my effort would not have even allowed me to even sniff a result so high up on the standings. My perceived outcome of my plight effort didn’t match up! The battle really wasn’t mine to win on my own.
In the years that followed Jan and I went back 6 more times. There were a lot of great times to be had but I will admit my mindset always naturally resorted back to striving. I experienced the grace and ease of striding but I always went back to owning my result with sheer willpower and determination. I never finished on the podium again but I sure gave it my best effort!
Levi’s little toddler voice declaring how he liked the “old way” makes me think of all the striving I’ve done. Have you spent your life striving? It’s almost comfortable because if our effort is constantly high and we are consistently bouncing off the bottom then we must be doing something right! The old way isn’t the right way, it’s just the way we know the best. Striding is the opposite, it’s a way that focuses on someone else that’s in control. And They can be trusted! Striding is the act of joining what God’s doing rather than asking Him to jump in with your plans. There’s a peace and ease to striding, even when the circumstances look dire. It sure seems like our world embraces those that promote themselves the best but I find the stories where ordinary people are placed into podium spots simply by striding the most captivating. There is something authentic and real about the humble and ordinary being placed in positions through God’s providence and power.
Striding versus striving. Striving relies on inner strength to conquer an outer world. Striding is less about your strength and more about moving through a battle that has already been won. I won’t say I’m a natural strider but I’m learning to hold on and be held, all the while striding along in a world of craziness. Give it a shot, it’s a change of perspective that might just change your life!
