A Table of Contents for LIFE!

Currently I am reading "A Resilient Life" by Gordon MacDonald. The subtitle states, "Winning is a Process, Not a Destination."

The book is the story of young Gordies high school track coach who made his athletes endure grueling workouts and refused to let them quit no matter how discouraged or fatigued they were. As the book jacket describes, he developed a plan for each athlete, then pushed them beyond their limits until they had tapped every ounce of their potential. It was decades later that Gordie realized that his wise coach was actually teaching them how to win in life! He calls the runners in life who are victorious RESILENT runners. To be anything less, is to be a quitter.

I'm only half way into the book and it is having a profoundly encouraging impact on me. Normally, I'd write a summary or review or highlight a meaningful section, but instead, I find simply the table of contents to be a fantastic checklist for life. Perhaps these chapter titles alone, if they do not inspire you to buy the book, may just simply inspire you!

(DO NOT "SCAN" - Read These Slowly and Reflectively, Please!)

RESILIENT PEOPLE ARE COMMITTED TO FINISHING STRONG
Quitting is Not an Option
"Walking" is Unthinkable
Building Resilience is a Daily Pursuit
The Face of Aimlessness
The Face of a Champion

RESILIENT PEOPLE RUN INSPIRED BY A BIG-PICTURE VIEW OF LIFE
Resilient People Have a Sense of Life-Direction
Resilient People Foresee the Great Questions of Life's Passage
Resilient People Cultivate Christian Character
Resilient People Listen for a Call from God
Resilient People Are Confident in Their Giftedness
Resilient People Live Generous Lives

RESILIENT PEOPLE RUN FREE OF THE WEIGHT OF THE PAST
Resilient People Understand the Importance of Repairing the Past
Resilient People Respect the Power of Memory
Resilient People Practice Repentance
Resilient People Are Quick to Forgive
Resilient People Overflow with Gratitude
Resilient People Squueze the Past for All Its Wisdom

RESILIENT PEOPLE TRAIN TO GO THE DISTANCE
Resilient People Prepare Themselves for the "Emergencies" of Life
Resilient People Know Exactly What Has to be Accomplished
Resilient People Keep Themselves Physically Fit
Resilient People Grow Their Minds
Resilient People Harness Their Emotions
Resilient People Trim Their Egos
Resilient People Open Their Hearts to the Presense of God

RESILIENT PEOPLE RUN IN THE COMPANY OF THE "HAPPY FEW"
The Value of Lingering
The Peril of the Solitary Life
How Friendship Works
There are Certain People


As you read those, if you didn't sense the Holy Spirit giving you a few you can work on, I'd check your pulse, you might be dead. I'll keep to myself the ones that convicted me! But this book (and just the table of contents!) are giving me pause and helping me reflect on how I can become a more resilient person. I like the phrase "resilient" - it's close to RE-SILENCE. As my whole life situation radically changed this past summer, I am learning a new "silence" that I've never known before. For me, resilience is beginning with silence in the presense of God, and then moving on from there.

Won't you run with me? Let me run with you toward the finish line!