What does “walking distance” mean to you? A block or two? Maybe A mile or even two?
To “Flyin’” Brian Robinson, “walking distance” was 7,900 miles! That’s how far he walked in 2001 when he became the first to complete the Triple Crown of hiking in one calendar year. In 240 days, Robinson walked the Appalachian, the Pacific Crest, and the Continental Divide trails.
“Why?” is an excellent question, but how may be easier to determine. While there were many details of planning and procedure for Robinson’s trek, the “how” really boils down to a very simple formula. And the way Robinson completed such an enormous feat is the same way you succeed at most any other endeavor. You take one step at a time and just keep moving. As Robinson says of himself, “I don't walk any faster than anybody else; I just don't stop walking."
My guess is that you have zero desire to walk 7,000 miles. But you do want to accomplish something. Whatever it is, you must take that first step. Since his pre-teen Boy Scout days, Robinson had dreamed of hiking the Continental Divide. In his mid-thirties, after 17 years sitting at a computer as a systems engineer for Compaq, Robinson realized that dreams have expiration dates. As he put it, "It couldn't be someday much longer." To finish, you must start. Then, you must add one step to another until you reach your goal.
That’s true of our spiritual journey, too. God says we can have “everything we need for life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3), and we can “participate in the divine nature” (1:4), and we can have a “rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (1:11). That’s extremely lofty stuff!
But it won’t happen in a flash of glory someday. You accomplish all that like you finish a long hike. Take the first step and keep walking. “Make every effort to add to your faith goodness;” the apostle Peter wrote, “and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love” (2 Peter 1:5-7).
What your life will be in 240 days, or 240 months, will be the result of the small steps you take in the meantime. Start with faith and add these other virtues. God promises you’ll be well pleased with where these steps will take you.
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