When I took Algebra in the 9th grade, I had Miss Jackson. She was an excellent first-year teacher. She was also the most beautiful math teacher that the Lubbock Independent School District had ever employed. Naturally, I did quite well in math that year. Mark Rose and I competed with each other to see who could get a higher “A” average. By the time I got around to taking Algebra II in high school, the landscape had changed. My male teacher was not Miss Jackson by any stretch of the imagination. I nearly flunked math that year because all motivation had vanished. I just did what I absolutely had to in order to get by with a passing grade. I had a conversation this morning with a friend of mine who is a police officer. His comments reminded me that we should train and study when it feels good. And we should train and study when it is not so fun.

This particular officer is diligent about ongoing physical training and conditioning. He runs and does strength training on a regular basis. Here is how he described his philosophy of physical training to me this morning: “If I am called to rescue children trapped in a burning school bus, I don’t intend to be out of breath and exhausted as I run back to get the last child.”
It took me a few moments to process what he was saying. I soon realized that his observation was very insightful. It has applications for many facets of life. When we are diligent about learning, training, and preparing, we are equipping ourselves to help others in a variety of ways. Going to the trouble of being certified in CPR could save a person’s life. Being in good physical condition prepares us to do things at a moment’s notice that cannot be anticipated.
Sometimes learning is not fun. Ongoing training of all kinds can become a real chore. We have to make sacrifices. We have to give up time we could be using to do other things we enjoy. There are times that Miss Jackson is our teacher, and there are other opportunities where Attila the Hun’s cousin is entrusted with the training. I am reminded today that discipline is a good thing. I even think it would be good for me to have that image of a burning bus full of children imprinted on my mind for a few weeks. My friend is right. There is no excuse for being out of breath and exhausted when we run back to rescue that last child. I have a lot of training to do. I had better get started… There is one more to be rescued. Are we prepared?