Running

Isaiah 40:29 He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases their strength.  30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall,  31 but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.

I've always been terrible at sports, but I was thinking this weekend that I have sure done a lot of running.  I've run toward many things...I've run toward different goals of a certain salary, a specific weight, or an additional degree. I've run toward places in hopes of finding peace or contentment or escape. I've run to people, hoping that they would know what to say or do or prescribe to help me solve life's problems. I've even run to the mall in pursuit of gratification through material gain. So although I dislike running in the physical sense, I am thinking today about just how much running I've done over the course of my life.

I ran my first ever 5K yesterday. I didn't really train for it the way I should have, due a little bit to illness and a lot to lack of self-discipline. But yesterday morning as I was getting ready to run, I started regretting not preparing better; I started to really wish I could run the entire race.

I decided I would start out jogging and just see how far I could get before I had to slow to a walk. But the farther into it I got, the more I started hoping I could just keep running to the finish line.  One of my new favorite Gateway Worship songs, "Running" was playing on my iPod, and it occurred to me to just ask the Lord if He would help me be able to do it. But I had some fears. I was afraid I would have a heart palpitation. I was afraid my legs would give out, or that I would have a coughing fit. I was afraid I looked silly and amateurish trying to run in the midst of so many more experienced runners who had come well prepared for this race. But I kept going.

As I ran, I began to consider that this race I was running is much like my life. I experience fear and discouragement every day. I'm not in the same place as other people like me, and I haven't a clue how or when or if I'll ever get there. I seldom ever feel like I'll be able to keep going in life, and I grow weary trying.

But as I ran my race yesterday, new strength rose up in me---a strength I didn't expect. The further I ran, the more hopeful I grew that I might just be able to finish after all. Then it occurred to me that this is exactly the way the Lord encourages me to go on and live my life. I was overwhelmed as I began to reflect on the way He strengthens me enough to keep me running right on through the wind and the rain and all the other obstacles if only I'm willing to step out in faith and just run.

I finished my race having run all five kilometers. I didn't expect that I would be able to, but the Lord gave me the grace to accomplish this feat in spite of my fears, my lack of preparation, and my unbelief that I could do it. He does this for me in the scheme of my life every day.

Today I am aching so badly that my sore muscles won't even allow me to go up the stairs. I liken this to the way life beats me up sometimes. I run the race, and even though He helps me clear the hurdles and conquer the snags, I am often left feeling beaten up and in pain. But if I let Him push me, running the race of life makes me stronger. When I let Him help me overcome the roadblocks, I am energized to not only keep going, but to run more passionately than ever toward the finish line. How can I not when I know Who is waiting there? And like the people along the sidelines yesterday, He cheers me on right up to the end.

My girls and me