Faith: Running with Others

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, ² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³ Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Hebrews 12:1-3

This past spring I got back into running with a goal in mind: I wanted to put in a good showing at the Eyota Days 5K road race.  It took a few months of training to get in shape, but by the middle of July I felt pretty good.  Ben and I ran the 5K trail several times prior to the race.  By race day, I was ready to go!

After the Eyota Days race, I grew busy…it got hot…I was out of town…(excuses…excuses…).  My running regimen disappeared for a while, so when Ben asked if I would run with him in St. Charles’ Gladiolus Days race, I wasn’t so sure.  I’d done some running, but nothing near the 3 miles that the race required.  After putting off a decision for a while, on Thursday I finally decided to bite the bullet.  My goal…to finish!

On Saturday morning I lined up with all the other crazy runners.  As the gun sounded I found a comfortable pace and plodded along, winding through the streets of St. Charles.  At about the halfway point of the race I found myself in a ‘gap.’  I had a few runners in my sights ahead of me.  I couldn’t sense anyone behind me.  I ran alone and felt myself fading.  I didn’t have the energy to catch the person ahead of me.  I soon heard the footsteps of someone coming up from behind.  I’d fallen back.  As the runner moved to pass me, something in me clicked.  I wasn’t about to let someone blow by me!  As he moved by me, I picked up the pace to keep up.  Before long I started to pull away from him, but he hurried to keep up.  For the last 1 ½ miles of the race, the two of us ran side by side.  When one person fell behind, he’d kick it in gear to catch back up again.  Together we moved up on the pack and, one by one, we passed the runners ahead of us.  On the home stretch I was able to blow by the winner of the 12 and under girl’s division (so yes, I AM faster than a 12 year old girl!  Barely!).

Had I run the second half of the race alone, I know that would have faded back into the pack.  Once I had someone to run with, I found extra energy.  I had someone to keep up with!  After the race I tracked my fellow runner down and thanked him for ‘picking me up.’  He had a funny response, “I was just trying to run your pace and keep up.”  He pushed me.  I pushed him.  Together, we finished strong.  He helped me to do what I wanted to do all along…run well!

That race is a microcosm of my life of faith.  When I feel ‘alone’ in faith, it’s easy to fade...to lose motivation.  A few years ago I tried (on my own) to read the Bible in a year.  I didn’t come close to making it!  This year we have a group of people all doing it at once.  As of today, I’m up to date!  They are helping me to do what I want to do.  God continually puts people in my life to ‘push’ me in my faith life.  They challenge me to be the person I want to be.  They remind me of the goodness of our Lord. 

I need others to help to throw off everything that hinders me and the sin that so easily entangles me.  They run with me as together we fix our eyes on Jesus.

A life of Christian faith isn’t a solo journey!  Others run with us.  Thank God!

Getting This Temple Moving!

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

I sit way too much!  I spend countless hours in front of this computer.  Cookies that find their way into the church office stand no chance!  When I was younger, my body could handle all that.  No longer!  Even though I played basketball a couple times a week, in the past year I found myself attracted to ‘comfort band’ pants…ones with elastic that let me delude myself I was the same size as I’d always been.  Something had to give!

Because of this, a few months ago I set a goal: to run in the Eyota Days 5K road race in July.  For experienced runners, a simple 5K is just a warm up.  For those of us who haven’t run that far in years…challenges abounded.  I’ve run off and on (mostly off) over the past years.  Even when I did run, the runs were short and intense.  I had to find a way to slow down and stretch the run to be able to survive a full 5K (which amounts to 3.1 miles).  I don’t think that I’d run that far since my high school cross country days (and I only ran cross country back then because my basketball coach made me!).

In April I finally strapped on my running shoes and dragged myself out of the house.  It took all my energy just to breathe!    I found myself walking for a while because my lungs just couldn’t take it.  I’d stagger home feeling miserable.

 After running for a few weeks, my lungs felt better … but my legs gave out.  It felt like I had lead weights dragging along under me.  I again had to walk a bit to allow them to rest.  I could barely take it!

Suddenly, a few weeks ago, everything seemed to fall into place.  For the first time in my life I began to understand the ‘second wind’ that many runners talk about.  Breathing now comes easily.  My legs continue to gain strength.  When I run, I enter a ‘zone’ where I can just keep chugging along for quite some time.   I know that I’m not breaking any world’s records, but I’m getting into shape.   

God has given me this body to care for!  I’m finally taking that seriously.

Who wants to join me in the Eyota Days 5K on Friday, July 15^th (or, if you’re from out of town, who will get themselves into shape for a 5K where you live!)?