Couch to 5K
Recently several friends have been working on the "Couch to 5k" plan. This training program is designed to help you go from a couch potato to a runner in just 2 short months. The program claims it's secret is to get the body moving, starting off alternating between walking and running and slowly building up until the person is able to run 3 miles or 30 minutes non-stop. Although I admire them for their discipline, I have chosen to not participate in the program. Let's be real here- the only time that I am going to run non-stop for any length of time is if I am being chased by a mass murderer like Freddie Kruger. I have no desire to jar all my internal organs around. Let's face it, at my age I have enough bladder "issues" without adding to the problem.
About 15 years ago I trained and attempted to run a 10K and was surprisingly alarmed at the difficulty of such a race. It was all that I could do to complete it. When the gun sounded and the race started I bolted out with the intensity of an Olympic athlete. Pretty soon my heart was beating out of my chest and I realized that I had not even hit the marker indicating that my race was half over. No, instead it was pretty obvious that I was significantly less than a quarter of the way through the course. Shortly thereafter, sopping wet with sweat, my hair plastered to my head and legs which seemed to be made of jello, I had a decision to make. Would I collapse on the side of the road and let a medic truck pick me up or try to persevere to the finish line? I chose to persevere. Often there would be long stretches on the route but occasionally you would encounter those who had come outside their homes to cheer us on and even the other runners would offer encouragement along the way....as they zipped past me. There were times that I would jog, other times (very infrequently) I would have a burst of energy and sprint, but most of the time I trudged forward one step at a time to complete the race until I collapsed at the end several hours later.
As Christians we know that we too are in a race because scripture tells us,
The race route is long and often daunting, filled with trials, hardships and unexpected turns. If we aren't careful they can leave us discouraged and distracted. This race requires endurance and for us to get rid of everything that hinders us. Have you ever seen a marathon runner wearing army boots, heavy clothes and carrying a big suitcase? Certainly not! We are all aware that those things would hinder his ability in the race, however we try to run our race weighed down and hindered. Often we clutch on to things that we know are wrong and destructive, such as materialism, bitterness, resentment, pride, unforgiveness or hatred which trip us up. Perhaps the television, internet, hobbies or relationships are weighing us down. God will reveal those sins and hindrances to us if we will seek His face.
I ran my 10K alone, but we don't run our spiritual race alone. Hebrews tells us we are "surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses." In other words, all those who lived before us (and are mentioned in Heb. 11) and lived a life of faith and trust in God have left us a rich spiritual legacy. By seeing how they lived and how they died we can draw inspiration in our race.
We also can't underestimate the encouragement and impact of those running the race with us. God's Word tells Christians,
In conclusion, we must ask ourselves the following questions. What is hindering me in my race? Is there sin that is entangling me? Am I trying to run the race in my own ability? Am I keeping my eyes on Jesus and trusting Him? We can rest assured that when our race is finished He will be right there and we can collapse into His outstretched arms!
About 15 years ago I trained and attempted to run a 10K and was surprisingly alarmed at the difficulty of such a race. It was all that I could do to complete it. When the gun sounded and the race started I bolted out with the intensity of an Olympic athlete. Pretty soon my heart was beating out of my chest and I realized that I had not even hit the marker indicating that my race was half over. No, instead it was pretty obvious that I was significantly less than a quarter of the way through the course. Shortly thereafter, sopping wet with sweat, my hair plastered to my head and legs which seemed to be made of jello, I had a decision to make. Would I collapse on the side of the road and let a medic truck pick me up or try to persevere to the finish line? I chose to persevere. Often there would be long stretches on the route but occasionally you would encounter those who had come outside their homes to cheer us on and even the other runners would offer encouragement along the way....as they zipped past me. There were times that I would jog, other times (very infrequently) I would have a burst of energy and sprint, but most of the time I trudged forward one step at a time to complete the race until I collapsed at the end several hours later.
As Christians we know that we too are in a race because scripture tells us,
"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. An let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Fixing our eyes on Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart" Hebrews 12:1-3You may ask what is this race? This race begins when a person asks Jesus Christ to be their Lord and Savior and it continues until we take our final breath or Christ returns. For many of us when we became a Christian we were on fire for the Lord and burst from the starting line running at a hundred miles and hour. We were excited about what God had done in our lives and couldn't wait to move forward with Him, however somewhere along the line we realized that this race is not a sprint-instead, it is a marathon.
The race route is long and often daunting, filled with trials, hardships and unexpected turns. If we aren't careful they can leave us discouraged and distracted. This race requires endurance and for us to get rid of everything that hinders us. Have you ever seen a marathon runner wearing army boots, heavy clothes and carrying a big suitcase? Certainly not! We are all aware that those things would hinder his ability in the race, however we try to run our race weighed down and hindered. Often we clutch on to things that we know are wrong and destructive, such as materialism, bitterness, resentment, pride, unforgiveness or hatred which trip us up. Perhaps the television, internet, hobbies or relationships are weighing us down. God will reveal those sins and hindrances to us if we will seek His face.
I ran my 10K alone, but we don't run our spiritual race alone. Hebrews tells us we are "surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses." In other words, all those who lived before us (and are mentioned in Heb. 11) and lived a life of faith and trust in God have left us a rich spiritual legacy. By seeing how they lived and how they died we can draw inspiration in our race.
We also can't underestimate the encouragement and impact of those running the race with us. God's Word tells Christians,
"And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." Hebrews 10:24-25How I praise God for those who have encouraged me in my walk and my ministry. God has indeed used them to spur me on in my spiritual race. As important as their encouragement is to me even greater is the significance of fixing my eyes on Jesus. He doesn't leave us alone in the race. He doesn't tell us we must run faster or harder. Instead, He tells us to keep out eyes on Him and trust Him. The One who authored the race endured the race. When He died on that cross the one sacrifice for sins made us perfect forever. We can't add to that work. God doesn't want us to trust in our works-He wants us to trust in Him.
In conclusion, we must ask ourselves the following questions. What is hindering me in my race? Is there sin that is entangling me? Am I trying to run the race in my own ability? Am I keeping my eyes on Jesus and trusting Him? We can rest assured that when our race is finished He will be right there and we can collapse into His outstretched arms!
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