Backsliding

Happy Saturday! If you’re new to THE CRAZY QUEST, you may wish to read about it here. Basically, I’m tracing my journey as I attempt to answer the question:

What would you do if you didn’t know you couldn’t do it?

This week of training: 13 miles

BACKSLIDING

Stumbling isn’t falling.

This wasn’t a good week for The Crazy Quest.

I only rode one day, a grand total of thirteen miles. If you’ve been following this adventure, you’ll know that a real slide from a normal 5-6 days and more than 100 miles.

I could offer many excuses. Bad weather, didn’t feel really good, writing deadlines—but they’re just excuses. Fact is, it was a week of backsliding.

Backsliding happens. Whatever your particular quest, it’s a fact of life. Maybe it’s a diet or a workout program or a struggle to kick an addiction. Maybe it’s daily prayer and quiet time with God, or reading the Bible. Doesn’t matter—for most of us, backsliding is a reality at some point in the journey.

The real problem isn’t the momentary slip. On a long journey, times of struggle are inevitable. The real issue is what happens in my thinking. I let it slide one day, then get frustrated with my lack of discipline. Frustration allows me to slide a bit more, and suddenly the voices tell me I’ve failed.

I start to pout, tell myself it’s no use. This week’s a loser, and now the whole thing’s screwed up. I’ll never make it. I don’t have the discipline. I’m a failure.

Might as well quit.

Falling off the wagon temporarily is just that—it’s temporary. It’s a momentary setback on a long, difficult road. Falling isn’t failing unless I refuse to get up.

I messed up a week, lost some fitness, maybe missed some in-progress goals. That’s not good, but the bigger picture’s still out there. The Crazy Quest is much larger than a single week.

So this morning I get back on the bike. I’ll grumble at myself, probably ride slower and struggle more. But I can’t go back and recover that lost week. I can only go forward, and that’s what my commitment to living on-purpose requires.

If you’ve stumbled, keep going. If you’ve fallen, get up. Don’t allow that momentary setback to become a permanent obstacle.

Are you backsliding in some aspect right now? What can you do to begin moving forward again?