I have been thinking a lot about running lately. Mostly because I’ve been doing a lot of running. More truthfully, slow jogging, but you get the picture. I am training for a half marathon. It is going to be the longest I’ve ever run at one time. I suspended my gym membership to utilize the beauty of the outdoors, but with the weather this summer, it has been a constant game of thunderstorm tetris. Now with the humidity we’ve seen the last two weeks, I have an added challenge. But, no one ever said reaching a goal would be easy. So, I continue to push myself, to try to go faster, farther, and keep my mind on my form and breathing.
A lot can go through your mind while jogging. I’ve prayed for nearly everyone I know and daydreamed about many things. I’ve also thought about the apostle Paul and his use of the analogy of our Christian life being a race.
I realize going into my “race”, that I’m not going to win. Some would say, why would you try at something you know you won’t win? My goal is to finish. If I finish, I win. That is my prize. Some may race for the prize of first over the finish line. The day may come when that may be my goal. For now, to finish without walking is my goal. If I must walk because like the other day the humidity made it so I had to chew the air I was breathing, then so be it. But my goal is to finish with a 14 minute average. Starting this adventure my average was more like 15 minutes.
Jogging is a very solitary activity. It is in contrast to most things I enjoyed as a child and a teenager. Volleyball, not so fun with one person. There are only so many times you can bump the ball to yourself or practice setting, and then you just look sad. Basketball, sure you can practice layups, dribbling, and rebounds even, but again, there comes a point when you just want at least one other person to challenge you. On the contrary, jogging for me is best when I am alone.
On the occasion I find myself at the track by myself I relish it. When people come and start jogging around I find myself comparing our speed, form, and breathing. I become more focused on them than I am on myself which, for a jogger, is mental surrender. So, I remind myself that this is for me. It does not matter if others finish first. I may be jogging more miles, and they may be training for speed and I’m training for endurance. And that got me wondering what is that prize Paul is talking about?
I started out trying to go fast, working on speed and wanting to be done within a certain amount of time. Then I realized I needed to go for distance and started to work at going farther and farther. The more miles I did, the better I became and naturally the time started to fall off as I became faster. My goal of distance helped me reach my secondary goal of speed. The secondary goal that for too long I had as the primary. Incidentally, the last I ran, my average was just over 13 minutes, so it even helped me surpass my goal of speed.
In the analogy of the race in the Bible, Paul speaks of running the race to win the prize. I took this as being like Jesus. We all hear, I want to be like Jesus, would Jesus do that? Would you say that if Jesus were here? You get the point. Paul also speaks of a desire to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the glory of His suffering.
If I am striving to know the Savior on a more personal level every day, I cannot help but be conformed to His image. When I know Him, I will be guided more fully by His Holy Spirit keeping me from things, guiding me to where I should be. Helping me guard my tongue, heart, and mind. To know Him, is to be like Him. So like running where my goal was to go faster, it didn't happen until I aimed at going farther. Likewise, my desire to be like Jesus, will only come when I really know who He is.
I am a fifties music junkie and my sister Michelle for the life of her cannot understand my taste in music. The feeling is mutual, K.C. and the Repetitive Band is no match for The Platters, but in any case, there is a song from the fifties that is really schmaltzy and it says. To know know know him is to love love love him and I do ... and I do… and I do…..Insert overly swooning intonation and background singers galore and you get the picture. A cute little song, not one of my favorites and I could live quite happily never hearing the song again. But I think in the sense of getting to know Jesus it is true. There is a difference in knowing what Jesus did and knowing who He is. I can be thankful for what he did without knowing Him. I could go my whole life being redeemed because I believe what He did for me. But I'd be missing out on so much if I didn't try to know Him. The more I know Him, the more I love Him. it would be impossible not to, and that is the beauty. When our goals are righted, our outcome is sure.
Now since I began to write this post a few weeks ago, there has been a hindrance not laid aside. I sprained my toe and have been advised by the doctor to sit this race out. To say I am disappointed is a gross understatement. The fact that the injury happened while killing a bug and stepping off my bed simultaneously, is just unbelievable! However, it lends itself quite readily into the analogy. The Christian life is full of bumps, missteps, stupid things we never would have dreamed would cause harm. Yet, like for the body, there is healing. I'm just glad I don't have to wait three weeks for forgiveness or to get back in the race.
I will train again at the end of these three weeks and I can't wait for whatever else God wants to teach me through it. So great how He meets us where we are!
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