Dig Deep

Philippians 3:12-14

It can often feel like we will never arrive at the place we are heading. Some journeys are incredibly difficult. Weight loss, addiction recovery, and grief are just a few examples of journeys we face that can empty us of a will to go on.

And one of the reasons this happens isn’t just related to our sense of the goal, it is also due to our lack of belief in ourselves. Our own belief of what we are capable of doing has a massive impact on what we accomplish.

I took a back packing trip recently to Wyoming that I have brought up a number of times lately, but one thing I haven’t shared was just how often I physically felt like it was impossible to take another step. This trip did a number on my body for many reasons. I didn’t adequately train for it, and it was just plain hard. Imagine five days above 10,000 ft where the only times we weren’t hiking was for meals, occasional stops, and setting up camp.

There were times that my feet were in agony. Or my back was in pain. Or I could barely lift my legs. And I started to develop a little internal mantra that I would whisper (or grunt) to myself.

“Dig deep.”

Psalm 139 is my favorite Psalm that contains a theology that I refer to personally a lot. This theology effectively claims that God knows me, God knew me before was conceived, and nothing about me is hidden from God. And that also means, for me, that God has given me all that I have, and that there is more to me than I even recognize.

On this trip, I had to whisper “dig deep” for every step I took for hours, especially when crossing over mountain passes and trekking up hill while ferocious mountain winds bit into my face.

“Dig deep.”

While I don’t know if that mantra works for everyone else, I think it gets at something the apostle Paul encourages the church in Phillipi to consider. “I press on to lay hold of that for which Christ has laid hold of me... I press on toward the goal.”

Throughout the New Testament, Christian communities were facing headwinds of persecution, identity, and a lingering worry about what the promise of Jesus’ return actually meant. As more time passed, Jesus’ return seemed less urgent. Paul was encouraging the church in Phillipi to “dig deep” and to not tarry too long with what has happened in the past.

We are a forgiven people. We are a people adopted into God’s family. And we press on toward the goal of reconciliation with God and with one another as we dig deep into the work of living lives that testify to God’s love and hope in the world.

Dig deep!