Running is something that I have taken up in the past couple of years of my life, although I haven't necessarily built up a great resume of success with it. But I do enjoy it. Here lately it has taken on more special meaning because I run as part of a team called Team LLF (http://www.lexlf.org/). LLF stands for the Lexington Leadership Foundation. They are a Christian ministry in Lexington, Kentucky that is sort of the man behind the man behind the scenes of outreach organizations and events in Lexington. They do a lot of things. I don't know all of the guys on the team, but some of my closest and most valued friends are on that team and I have had the privilege of running with them. And we are not all athletes either, or at least not very good ones. Some of us are. But some of us are ex-bums trying to change our McDonalds-three-times-a-week regimens and do something new and good for our bodies and minds. When I run with these guys I inevitably run better. I push further. I develop the mentality, "If he can do it I can do it!" and I give it a little bit extra.
Here lately I have had in a thorn in my flesh in my running goals, metaphorically speaking (actually it was most likely a metaphor in the Bible too so that may make my statement metaphorically speaking about a metaphorical speaking). The thorn is in the form of a shin splint. Have any of you ever had shin splints? They can be quite painful at times. But mine, however, is not really that painful. Instead it is kind of a nagging pain that is annoying more than unbearable. Shin splints are infamous for recurring, so once you have them they can be tough to get rid of. It has already taken me out of training for a half-marathon that I was training to run. I won't get into the details of what causes shin splints, but suffice to say that I have one, and I'm actually icing it with a bag of frozen generic peas from Kroger as I'm sitting here writing this blog. The shin splints have caused me to rearrange my running goals to shorter distances until I can build up enough conditioned strength to manage the greater distances.
So this morning my goal was to run a pretty quick and easy two miles. I ran three miles earlier this week and I felt a slight pain in the shins, only to the touch, so I didn't want to risk injuring them further with an intense run. But while running I felt better than expected and wasn't experiencing any pain in the shin, so I pushed on ahead to try and complete three miles. Because I had only planned on a two mile run, I had pushed a little harder pace than usual on the first mile. So finishing the last mile this morning was laborious because my heart rate was higher than usual for that distance. The last half mile I didn't know if I was going to make it. Now, I'm not ashamed to tell you that it is not uncommon for me to pray when I'm running. I pray for several reasons. One, it helps me to get my mind off of my own misery. Also, I genuinely believe that God has all power, and so if called upon, He may just choose to loan me some of His and help me get a little boost. Laugh if you want, but I'll take all of the help I can get. This morning, when I was struggling, I asked God to help me get through that last half mile. I was not happy about the way I was feeling. At first I told God, "God, help me to be willing to suffer a little bit this next minute or so in order to feel the gratitude of having accomplished the distance when it is over." That is a worthy prayer! And it has helped me on many occasions. After all, it is Biblical for us to embrace suffering for the sake of the greater goal! But on the last hundred yards or so, I didn't know if I had it in me. So, I literally invited Jesus to run the last stretch with me.
Those of you who may be agnostic, atheist, or skeptics can laugh at me and I will gladly accept the ridiculousness of this behavior. But it won't stop me from sharing my experience here, for I think it is worthy of sharing. When I invited Jesus to run the distance with me, I pictured in my mind that Jesus was running just ahead of me by about three yards, encouraging me to keep going. That is a familiar situation for me, as my running partners will share with any of you that I typically fall back just behind the pack without losing ground completely. But Jesus did something unexpected. He slowed down and came along beside of me. At this point, Jesus turned and said to me, "There now, that's better. Now we can do this together." And, as a side note, I would like to mention that in my mental image Jesus was wearing the typical garb that you see in any one of the many Jesus movies, long robes or shawls. However, he had on running shoes, like modern Nike's. I'm not lying to you. And I have never used illegal drugs. He and I both joked with each other about how miserable we felt (I liked knowing that Jesus wasn't particularly enjoying the suffering either). After all, Jesus suffered and died on the cross for me, and He certainly is under no obligation to go on a three mile run with me if He wants to take His rest. But He did run next to me, and it helped. But it still wasn't helping enough. So He actually laughed, took my hand, and we ran the last fifty yards hand in hand. To the drivers alongside of me on the street I would have only appeared as an ambitious and tired runner pumping my right fist. I finished the distance. And I didn't even puke at the end.
Now sometimes I am a bit of a spiritual whacko, and sometimes I'm not. I may have been a spiritual whacko this morning. If there is any atheist out there who believes that I simply conjure these things in my mind to give myself inspiration, then I will accept that possibility. Perhaps I do. But if that is the case, then at the minimum I will thank my Creator for giving me an imagination and willingness to consider Him, invite Him, and use my thoughts of Him as an inspiration to push harder. My point is simply that, whatever IT was, it helped me finish. And to me, it was Jesus in a woolen shawl and some Nike's.
My foot is now numb from the frozen peas, so I will leave you with these thoughts of Jesus, generic frozen vegetables, athletic goals, and spiritual nutcase. But if you get the chance to, invite Jesus to do something with you today; something routine, insignificant, uninspiring. Perhaps your task will gain significance, become inspiring, and shine light into your routine. The passers-by may look with confusion as you laugh in your car on your afternoon commute, or when you grip an invisible hand while leading a staff meeting at your job. But hey, we are all a little bit crazy. And Jesus was crazy too, at least in the minds of many who observed Him. But He had power to conquer death, and He did it with peace! And I could use a little of that.
No comments:
Post a Comment