For most of my life, when I heard messages about following Jesus, I thought in terms of trying hard to be like him... It generally didn't work any better than would my trying hard to run a marathon for which I had not trained. I would end up exhausted and defeated. Given the way we are prone to describe "following Jesus," it is a wonder anyone wants to do it at all. Spiritual transformation is not a matter of trying harder, but of training wisely - John Ortberg.