Run so as to win. Every athlete exercises discipline in every way. // 1 Corinthians 9:24-25

I will never be an Olympic athlete. That is a fact. I just turned fifty last month, and I'm excited that as a woman with multiple sclerosis, I can walk every day, see clearly, and live an active life. Every step and breath is a blessing.

Conversely, during my time as a campus minister at a Division I University, I was blessed to serve amazing athletes who will be and are Olympians. Their discipline inspired me daily. When you see someone who wakes up at 5 a.m. for workouts, conditioning, and practice; goes to classes; graduates Summa Cum Laude; travels for games; participates in weekly athlete Bible Studies; and also shows up for 5 p.m. daily Mass, you know their eyes are set on the ultimate finish line: Heaven.

I might not go to the Olympics, but one thing is clear: I don't always have my eyes fixed on the finish line, and further, I lack the discipline to grow in my faith. I spent an hour praying every morning, meditating on God's Word, when I did an Ignatian Retreat incorporated into my daily life called the 19th Annotation. Yet, just like when I did my first half-marathon, I relaxed my discipline once the thirty days were over. One hour became ten minutes, and my vision of the finish line blurred. 

I have to ask myself—and maybe you do, too—what discipline I need to run the race before me. 

Is it daily prayer?

Is it being in a Bible Study that will hold you accountable?

Is it reading Scripture and journaling what the Lord is speaking to you through His Word?

Is it going on a retreat to encounter Christ?

Is it just scheduling in the time for God and not scrolling on your phone (calling myself out for sure here)?

Whatever the discipline, over time, you will see results in your relationship with God, and you will soon "[r]un so as to win" (1 Corinthians 9:24).