The agony of defeat.
A few days after I ran my first marathon, a friend at church asked me if I had done anything interesting over the previous weekend. When I very proudly informed him of my accomplishment, he just looked at me with his head cocked to one side and appeared quite puzzled. "But why would you want to?", was his reply. That set me to thinking.... and here's the answer....
I love to run. I love going out at 5:00am, seeing the stars, watching the sunrise, feeling the breeze, listening to the birds. I suppose I could be pious and claim that I pray when I run, or worship when I run, or sing hymns when I run. Being a Christian, I suppose those would be the things most people would expect to hear, but my passion for the sport reaches a deeper level. Don't get me wrong, sometimes I do those things, but that's not why I hit the streets before dawn to travel 20 miles in a huge circle.
The music is perpetual, and when I run, so is the hearing. Simply put, I run because it reminds me of who I am in God's eyes. When I feel my heart beating, it brings to mind my ultimate goal, to have my spiritual heartbeat in perfect, synchronous rhythm with the heartbeat of my Creator. Climbing the hills, I have confidence that I can reach out and find my second and third wind, that spiritual rock, that fortress upon whom my life is built. When my legs burn and my lungs ache, I press on because my Saviour endured and completed his mission. The climbs, the downhills and the flats remind of how uneven life truly has been and will be. I sprint to the finish because heaven is my goal and when my time on earth is done, I intend to be totally gassed, to have nothing left to give. The long distance run is the perfect metaphor in my relationship with God.
"I was just running." -- Forrest Gump
2 comments:
This blog reminds me of a short story by Robert J. Hastings, "The Station". So often we run with our heads down with only the destination in mind, in turn, we miss the beauty of the journey. I run because I enjoy the journey...
FYI... I plan on running the El Paso Marathon next January with Bailey(stroller of course!) and hopefully Rock N' Roll Arizona in October. The bug is back!!!
Jake
I don't know what bug bites you and makes you run over 20 miles, but to be careful, I will squash all bugs.
I am simply grateful to have seen God in a swingset, in a sunset, and on my children's faces. Life is tough and often, I wonder if my name really is only mommy, but then God finds a way to whisper to my heart - MY CHILD. I'm so glad to hear that whisper again...and next time I pray for Chris for a new job, I will request in which city. ;P
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