“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” —Ephesians 2:10

Upon the blank sky pours open the canvas of glittering stars. It unravels, flowing from one horizon to the next, ending just above the light blue edges of the dawn sky. The wind rustles the grass, and stirs up something new inside me. We walk out onto the damp field, and the white line paint comes off onto our shoes. It is the first day of something great. It is the first day that the Lincoln Drum Line takes over at Howard Wood Field to, as our staff says, “put the beats with the feets.” We are here to put forth the most effort we can, and to put the whole summer of training into practice.

The wind flies through me, instead of around me. This is something new. Jesus has made himself known, and I feel something great in the air.

For the next four hours until lunch, the pushups come in increments of 20. We are yelled at, we are pushed harder than ever and we improve. This must be a sign of something great to come.  

Where does this drive come from? Where do we find the strength to reach deep inside ourselves and find the energy and the passion to keep motivated and keep moving? The answer is now clear to me, and the answer to the question is Jesus the Prophet. He has reached deep inside all of us and found our core so that he can light the fire under us. This fire burns bright saying, “Yes you can. Through me all things are possible.” The Lord speaks to us all. It is this divine inspiration that motivates us, and it is this divine prophet of God that shatters all perceptions of work and effort.

Sunburned, sore and tired, we all drag out to the parking lot to pack up for the day. The feeling that we’re done is replaced by the fact that we have to come back again and again. But Jesus sweeps through us, giving us the passion to keep coming back.

Dear Lord, please keep the wind flowing through us as the constant reminder that you are the main motivating factor in our lives. Through you all things are possible. Amen.

Will Reynolds