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…
Hebrews 12:1
I am a runner. In my younger days, I used to LIKE running. It actually felt good. These days, I don’t like it at all. But, I truly appreciate the sense of accomplishment and discipline it personally affords me.
The other day I was telling a friend, who is not a runner, what it felt like to run a race. It hurts. I usually hate every minute of it, asking myself why in the world I signed up for this. I even PAID for it. How foolish was that?!! I am constantly looking for the finish line, wondering if I can possibly make it that far. I can’t breathe. I might even throw up. If, by chance, I start to feel like it’s not so bad after all, you can bet I’m not giving it my best effort. All I want is to be done!! I don’t even care whether or not I’m on course to win a medal… I just want to cross that finish line.
The funny thing is, the only thing keeping me from quitting is myself. Nobody else cares if I stop and walk off the path. All my friends standing along the road cheering me on would be disappointed, but they would definitely understand. It’s obvious by the look on every runner’s face how hard a race can be. If their face hides it, their gasping cannot.
So, what keeps me running? The sense of having run a race well. The accomplishment of giving it my best effort. Testing the strength of my preparation and training. Fighting to get to that finish line successfully. Knowing that my character is being honed. Rising above mediocrity and boredom.
The same can be said about my approach to life. When I come to the end, I want it said that I gave it my all. That when it came to testing the strength of my preparation and training, my faith in God’s sovereignty and goodness held true and unwavering. That I fought for Truth, even in the face of lies tempting me to give up and take the easy road to personal happiness. That my life poured out forgiveness and mercy as graciously as Jesus did, which in itself dispels all mediocrity and boredom. I want to look in the face of the Time-keeper as I gasp for air stumbling by, and hear Him say, “Good run.”
Within five minutes after finishing a race, after I’ve had a chance to catch my breath and my legs stop shaking, you’ll usually hear me say, “Whew! That was fun! Let’s do it again!” The sense of accomplishment having overpowered the distaste of the race. Crazy, I know. That must be what is meant by a runner’s high. There’s just something indescribably great reaped into the heart through a journey of pain and perseverance. Something not grasped or understood through any other means.
I understand where you are coming from, some of the races I have run have been pure torture, however, others have been nothing short of awesome. Like the situations we face in life, some races are just more fun than others. Preparing for a race or situation in life can help ease the pain, but it won’t guarantee smooth sailing.
The only way to guarantee a positive outcome is to set a positive frame of reference. In a race this means focusing on those around you, encouraging people you pass, and people that pass you. Thanking the people at the water station for getting up at a crazy hour just to hand out water to people who pay to torture themselves 🙂 and acknowledging the crowd when they cheer you on. It also means running a race you can be proud of, that doesn’t mean getting a new PR every time you race, it does mean that you did your best and finished strong.
In life setting a positive frame of reference means reflecting God’s love and trusting Him in every situation. You see, hard times come to everyone. Some come by divine providence, but most are just a fact of living in a fallen world. However, as Christians we have a promise, “All things work together for good to them who love God” (Rom 8:28). In my life I have found that sometimes the “good” helps me directly, maybe I learn an important lesson, but much more exciting is when the “good” helps someone else. I had a series of bad things happen to me a few years ago… it was a very difficult time, but it was all made worthwhile when a friend with suicidal tendencies told me that witnessing my struggles helped her give life a chance.
You may not be told that how you faced a situation helped someone else, but we don’t live in a vacuum. Your influence can be positive or negative… choose to be positive.
In closing, I am sorry for the long post… please forgive me.
Sharmen, the beauty of this post is that it’s naked. There isn’t anything appealing about watching a runner struggle through a race. There isn’t anything asthetically pleasing about running it. But there is a beauty about both, especially when it comes to the spiritual realm. Run, girl! And all of us will cheer you on and run that race with you. It’s a beautiful race that teaches us what His face looks like daily.