A Grain of Sand 

In Ben Bergeron’s the book, Chasing Excellence: A Story About Building the world’s fittest athletes, a young world-class athlete recaps the critical aspect of the training process that Bergeron took her through leading up to winning the 2015 and 2016 CrossFit Games. There was, of course, the relentless dedication to time in the gym, building strength and stamina, repetitively focusing on the fundamentals. But the real difference was the grueling application of training in the area of mental strength and mental stamina.  

She explained it this way: Ben and I talk about it like being on a beach. We don’t look at the whole beach; we focus on one grain of sand. We only see one grain at a time, and that grain gets our full attention. After a full day of focusing on a single grain at a time, we leave the beach. That’s when we look at it as a whole. That is when we see the beauty of it all and reflect on it. 

Again? 

Are you getting a little tired of the upper room discourse? Seems I have been reading and writing on it for weeks. If so, I understand. If you sit and read John 13-17 straight through, you’ll find it to be a difficult read. Besides the early part about washing the disciple’s feet, there’s no narrative. Just repetitive and redundant statements. Jesus seems to say the same or similar things over and over.  

I’m just like you. I want my morning devotions to be emotionally uplifting and leave me with a sense of joy and exhilaration. I suspect that when my email comes to you every day and you open it, you open it hoping my writing will be compelling, give you hope and enlightenment and a spiritual boost. It happens sometimes and I love it when it does. But, I do it every day and I don’t hit a home run for myself every day and I certainly don’t ‘hit it out of the park’ for you every day either. I try, but it isn’t actually my main goal. 

Be True 

My real goal, both personally in my own devotions and in my ministry of writing to you, is to be true to the Bible. To be true to the text, which I believe is the inspired Word of God. Similar to examining a grain of sand so that I will appreciate the whole beach more fully.  

God ordained the content of His Word and the order of it all, down to each and every word. Never haphazard. It’s not too much and it’s not too little. It’s just right. Being true to the text means looking at a grain of sand intently. The uniqueness of each grain of sand brings greater insight into our view of the entire beach. It’s the same for God’s Word. 

So, John 13-17 is just what God wanted it to be. It is four full chapters describing the teaching of Jesus (somewhat repetitive) for 11 men over a couple of hours of time, immediately preceding the most horrible pain and anguish a person could experience. Just like the grueling preparation that a world-class athlete absorbs, this time in the upper room is preparation time for the disciples. Preparation for superior performance demands meticulous devotion toward the basics. John 13-17 provides the fundamentals of living for Jesus and ministering to a broken world. 

My Prayer 

Jesus, my God and my Savior, every facet of who You are is a wonder! Help us to patiently consider Your every attribute, Your every quality and every nuance of Your being. You are as vast as all the beaches of the world and as deep and wide as every ocean; plus more. Your beauty and wonder are seen in every grain of Your Word. May we soak it in one grain at a time and in so doing, see more fully the vastness of Your entire being. Amen!