I have never been what some would call “a runner.” I love to walk. I love to sit. But I hate to run. I always struggled in elementary school to do the mile. One time in college, I ran a mile on the treadmill…. One time.
But lately, there has been a trend around me. It seems like an extraordinary amount of people in my life have been training for and running half-marathons. HALF-MARATHONS! People at work, people at church, people everywhere! In every arena of my life, it seems.
One friend, in particular, has been talking to me about her training and has also shared about how she, like me, hated running and was never good at it while growing up. That same friend has shared how she learns a spiritual lesson every time she runs.
So, I decided I would start running. Maybe eventually train for a half-marathon, but at least start running. And what better way to begin than figure out where your starting place is. (When the above friend started training, she was running 3 miles.)
So yesterday, I figured if I wanted to run, I had better hurry and run before I changed my mind. I asked my husband how far he thought I’d be able to run. He guessed maybe ½ a mile. I reminded him, “You remember, I DID run a mile in college on a treadmill…” (Never mind that it was probably 5 years ago…)
So I got to the lake to run around it. It felt good to have my exercise clothes on once again. (It had been a LONG time.) I put my headphones of my ipod in and started stretching. It felt so good to stretch! (Again, it had been a long time.) I started to walk, and then I ran. It felt amazing! The first few strides were great!
Three minutes and 3/10 of a mile into the run, I stopped running. I felt like my chest was going to explode. I kept walking, but I could run no longer. I did not run a mile. I did not run ½ a mile. I ran 3 minutes. And my chest was on fire.
I kept walking though. I walked for the remaining 27 minutes of my workout.
So the last lap of my run/walk, I remembered my friend describing to me how she got a spiritual lesson out of every run. I thought “What is my spiritual lesson, Lord?”
Here’s the lesson:
We think we are ready. We think we are spiritually “in shape.” We think because at one point, we ran hard after Him, that at a moment’s notice, we can pick it up again whenever we want to and have the endurance to run the race. That, my friends, is a lie. Endurance and strength is only built up and given over time, and is only kept when maintained with frequent exercise. Our spirits must be kept in shape with spiritual exercise. The exercises of reading the Word, praying, fasting, denying our flesh, and denying the pleasures of this world. The exercises of renewing our minds, casting down argument that exalt themselves against the knowledge of Christ, saying yes to Jesus, and no to our flesh and the devil.
I don’t plan on quitting. I may only be able to run 3 minutes now, but I plan to keep trying to build up my endurance and strength.
You shouldn’t give up either. Keep running after Him. Keep trying. Don’t quit and you’ll win.
Hbr 12:1
Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.
