Be Relentless. Such was the motto of this year's M22 Challenge. Everything from promotional materials to t-shirts had this simple two-word motto emblazoned on it. Those two words carried tremendous meaning and urgency. Be- races are part of a lifestyle, more than simply working out. The lifestyle is that of knowledge, diet, exercise, motivation, attitude. Relentless- literally, never turning back. No one turns around in a race. At least, no one turns around on purpose. Relentless means to never give in, never give up and to expend every last ounce of power and strength on achieving the goal. I wanted to be relentless.
Christians have a similar goal ahead of us. Be holy. Old Testament and New Testament alike bear witness to this goal. Be- the Christian life is the synergy of soul, spirit, mind, body, strength. Holy- never give in, never give up and expend every last ounce of power and strength on achieving the goal. Holiness as quiet piety works for many people, and I am not going to undermine that image. It just isn't mine. I think of holiness more and more in terms of being relentless.
Cornel West has a quote (big surprise that I would quote him) which covers holiness for me: "Interrogate your hidden assumptions." I would say the same thing, but add the word relentless: "Relentlessly interrogate your hidden assumptions." Growth never happens until we confront and interrogate our hidden assumptions. In the M22 Challenge, I assumed that I wasn't' in good enough shape to complete (much less compete) the course. Through training and diet, I interrogated that belief and found it false.
In holiness, I find myself interrogating my hidden assumptions constantly. Little phrases like "That'll never change," or "I always do that," need to be regularly held under the close inspection of the Spirit. In relentlessly confronting my own stories, I have found that the areas in my life in which I get "stuck" are not because I suck at life... they are because I believe an assumption and have never tested it.
Every relationship has assumptions. In my marriage, my assumptions were lifted up in the form of vows. In my friendships, in my family, I have assumptions. Sometimes, my assumptions are built out of my values and are quite healthy. Other times, my assumptions are selfish and are created in order to keep my life quiet and manageable.
I believe that there is more to life than "manageable." I believe that God is relentless and that Christ was relentless and that the relentless life is the only one worth living. Hopefully we can discover together the relentless life of God.
