The Mamoth Marathon Salad reminds us that although some things take time to prepare there’s a great sense of accomplishment when we see the finished product.
I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. (Phillippians 3:14 KJV)
In our city in the month of June is the annual Manitoba Marathon. People of all ages attempt to run the 26.2 mile course. The training for this is rigorous. Like many marathons held all over the world, people train all year just for this one race. For many the goals are similar:
- Accomplish the half marathon – Finish the entire race
- Beat their best time – Place in the top three.
All who finish the entire course obtain a medal and a T-shirt. The top 3 male and female finishers each receive plaques and cash awards of up to $1,000.00.
Not being a marathon runner myself, this boggles my mind! What is the drive behind the work and effort involved? It is not fame or fortune. So what is it?
Contrast this to the Christian in the mammoth marathon. He presses toward the mark of the high calling of Jesus Christ. Wow! Isn’t that a motivator?
How many Christians do you see working as diligently and hard as our annual marathon runners? Yet the prize is MUCH greater. This boggles my mind!
I had tried for years to make good steak. Each time the steak was either; too tough, too dry, or too chewy. So each time I would retreat into frustration. This year I made it my goal to cook the perfect steak. To ensure I accomplished this I gave myself a deadline. I invited friends over for dinner and promised them delicious steak, a promise I intended to keep.
I went to the meat market and researched the best steak to buy and the best method for cooking. I bought one to try out on my spouse. Then I bought more to try out on my parents. The deadline was quickly approaching and I was getting better and better at cooking steak. I was also eating like a queen.
After 27 years of marriage I have mastered the technique that takes most men with a Bar-B-Que a ½ hour to figure out. I can cook a good steak. The best part was not the flavor of the steak, but the sense of accomplishment in completing something that has challenged me for years.
What motivated me was that I was working toward a real deadline. It had worked often in the past. If I wanted a clean house I would book a party. It is amazing how cleaning before guests arrive becomes a priority.
The reverse has also been true. There are many things I have never got around to doing because there was no real deadline to get them done.
I thought about my marathon runners. As the deadline for the race draws near, the training increases. For procrastinators it accelerates. If the Marathon organizers did not post the date for the race until the day of the race would as many people be ready? I am certain the skilled runners would be. I am not as convinced about the amateur.
Are there things in your life that you have never accomplished because of procrastination? I know there are in mine.
Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. (Matthew 25:13 KJV)
Muster the tenacity of a marathon runner and take on some of those goals.
- Phone that friend you have been putting off and book a lunch date.
- Start that prayer time you have been longing for.
- Try that recipe you have been eyeing for months.
- Read the Bible through in a year.
- Make the perfect steak.
The key is set a target and get started. The satisfaction achieved will be better than steak.
Mamoth Multi-Layered Salad
Ingredients:
Salad:
1 medium head of lettuce broken into bite size pieces
1C sliced celery
6 hard boiled eggs, sliced thin and crumbled
10 oz corn (frozen or canned)
½ C chopped green pepper
8 sliced green onions
1 cucumber, sliced and quartered
8 slices bacon crumbled
Dressing:
1C mayonnaise
1C sour cream
2T sugar
Garnish:
9. 1C grated cheddar cheese
10. 4 slices crumbled bacon
Procedure:
Layer first 8 salad ingredients in the order listed. Combine dressing ingredients and pour over top of salad. Pour right to the edge of the pan. Add garnish in order listed. Seal well with plastic wrap and store in fridge at least 24 hours.
©2009, Bonnie Hooley
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