Welcome to Day 31 of our Journey through “31 Days to Bless Your Family”!

Today’s theme is Sprints & Marathons. You have set out on a lifelong “run” to Bless Your Family, and you will be running for and hopefully alongside with your spouse and children. In a sense I have had the privilege of coaching and running with you these 31 Days.

Thank you, it has been a pleasure to be with you on this journey, and I look forward to possibly visiting with you again here in this series, or maybe another. In a way, this 31 Day journey has been a bit of a marathon for both of us, and every day was a sprint. You have had the hard work to do, and your efforts will make all the difference in the lives and generations of your family.

Like any training program, some days are harder than others and sometimes we are in the zone and feel like we are unstoppable. Some exercises need to be revisited again for improvement and further focus for mastery. I plan on revisiting each of these to refine and improve each post as well as the resources offered. I too am dedicated to blessing my family, and I have plenty of growth ahead of me, so I will be revisiting these topics for my own study and practice and training. I am not just coaching, I am running this race for my family just like you.

Training makes us stronger, and improves us, grows us, and prepares us. Most any coach you can imagine would tell you to stick to the fundamentals, the basics. They would keep you coming back to the simple things that work and get the biggest results for you. That’s why these topics are designed to train us through the basics, so we can take simple steps toward getting solid results. No matter where you are starting your journey from, you can do this. You can be the difference your family needs you to be for them. You can Bless Your Family.

I just finished my first half-marathon run (yes, I actually ran 13.1 miles in an official race). As I was training for that and thinking about this series ahead of time, it occurred to me that this would be a good metaphor for our goals to Bless Our Families.

There’s the macro metaphors of running your races in individual topics over periods of time, and the overall marathon of your marriage and family life. And there are the micro sprints of everyday experiences, and the extended seasons of life that you and your partner will run together.

As I began training for my actual marathon I had already benefitted from personal study and practice, and using personal trainer apps like “Nike Training” and “Nike+ Run Club” in my regular exercise routine. Having a “coach” or “trainer”, as well as additional tools and resources helped me to exceed all my goals better and faster than I had ever imagined. I was prepared and at a performance and readiness level that filled me with confidence, allowed me to complete the half-marathon with ease, and made recovery almost seamless.

This is my hope for you – that you use available coaching and training, as well as additional tools and resources to exceed your desires and goals to bless your marriage and family in ways beyond what you ever imagined possible! I want you to grow and improve in these 31 topics and more, so that you are prepared and at a performance and readiness level to always Bless Your Family. I want you to be filled with confidence, able to take challenges in stride, and recover from your most worthwhile efforts ready to keep on blessing your spouse and children.

It’s not always about the run, and we need some good warm-ups and cool-downs, and you can’t forget some good stretching, rest and nutrition in your training.

Walking is important at all stages (and metaphors), and you were made to walk through life with your spouse. In this song below, “Walking Her Home”, overlaid on a montage of “The Notebook” movie, is a story of a young couple in love who get the joy and privilege to walk through their whole lives together. At the end of their story he gets to walk her home to Heaven.

I tear up every time I soak this in, and I treasure the hope that I will get to walk my Sweet Girl home one day… I treasure the hope of growing old with my bride, and savoring every season of our journey together along the way. I don’t know how that will work out for us, but I am planning on holding my Precious Love every day until it does and making sure she knows I’m there with her every step of the way.

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[shareable cite=”@Eric_D_Jackson”]My prayer and encouragement for you and your family is that you run your race well, you finish strong, and you pass the baton of blessing on in your marriage and family.[/shareable]

Today’s “Dares and Prayers” shared in the video:

• Love Dare – “Love and Marriage Priority“
• Love Dare For Parents – “Influences“
• Power of a Praying Husband, Pray for – “Her Honor“
• Resolution – (review)
• 31 Days of Building Your Family Values, Bible App Devotions – “Trustworthy“

 

<YouTube video coming soon> 

 

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Special Thanks to Kendrick Brothers Productions for their books The Love Dare, The Love Dare for Parents, and The Resolution for Men. You can check out their movies, books etc on their site. Their site recommends a local church finder at:

• TrueLife.orgwhich also links to a prayer online, chat or text site – ChatAboutJesus.com

For prayer from KLOVE Radio staff:

• Positive, Encouraging K-LOVE Radio – Submit a Prayer Request
• “You can also call [the] prayer line at 800-525-5683”