Stinky shoes

1 Corinthians 9:25 (ESV)

Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.

There’s not many things that smell worse than stinky shoes. I’m sure you’ve come across a pair that has that odor with the extra kick. It may even be a family member. You know the ones that make you gag a little when you pick them up?

It seems like shoes can get stinky pretty easily. It’s just the nature of them. You put them on, run around in them for a few days, and they start to accumulate that funky stinky feet odor. But many times, because you wear the shoes all the time, you don’t notice the odor. It’s easy to become accustomed to the foot odor and not realize…your feet stink.

You know that’s a lot like personal growth. It’s easy to become so accustomed to your daily activities, routines and things that we can forget to grow personally. Unless we try to do something beyond what we’ve already mastered, we won’t grow.

That principle can apply to lots of areas in our lives. If we don’t push ourselves to grow, we can easily become stinky and not realize it.

To win, you’ve got to be disciplined in training. You’ve got to push yourself beyond where you’re comfortable in natural things and in spiritual things. So decide today that you’re not going to become stinky like your shoes sometimes get. Decide to keep pushing yourself forward in your relationship with God and in your habits and routines. The secret to your failure or your success is found in your daily routines.

Dear Lord, help us to push our self beyond what is normal.  Help us to grow spiritually so that we may bring honor to You and not be stinky. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.