The hills of Arkansas are calling; the call is to be one of Jesus' Disciples in The Great Passion Play and the call to discipline myself to the physical demands of that role. The "training" began a few days ago, starting with setting my alarm 30 minutes earlier in the morning, getting my journaling, scripture and devotional reading completed and hitting the road for my wog (walk/jog) before attending prayer at 8:00am. It's been in the 40's for my first three training sessions, so the shock has not been too bad. From past experience, once you set your mind to the routine, it becomes routine and that's where the discipline kicks in. You just do it.
No place on the grounds of TGPP is flat, so even the normal daily activities require walking the hills, but the play takes place on a large and "elevation challenged" set, and some of the roles demand physical strength, so it is important to anticipate and get in decent shape. Again, from past experience in the play, as an athlete (or wannabe athlete) most of my life, and a newly appointed septuagenarian, it's important to do the nitty gritty down and dirty grunt work needed. Some people may not feel the need to do as I do, but to me that's what being disciplined and being a disciple is all about. Do it well and do it right. Jesus trained the first Disciples and even though it took them a while to get the hang of it, the result was that it encouraged a lot of people, and many of us, to follow their example and follow the example of Jesus.
How much more enjoyable the race is, and will be, if we train for it and keep training even when we think we're in top shape. We never know when God will call us to climb taller hills than those in Arkansas or run a longer "race" than the one we just completed. And my being a disciple is not just for the hour and forty-five minutes of the Play, but for every minute of my life as a Christian. I'd much rather have the discipline to stay the course than face the discipline of God when I haven't done all I was called to do or didn't do it to the best of my ability in every "role" I play. Thank You, Lord, for calling us as You have and allowing us to serve as we do. What a blessing and joy it is.
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