Aimlessly running?

Finishing is better than starting. Patience is better than pride. (Ecclesiastes 7:8)

Most of us like the 'finishing' better than the 'starting' part. Why? It means we have reached an end and if the starting was hard, the finishing could be a reward of sorts. We view the finish line as somewhat of a relief, while the starting line can be filled with all manner of anxious thought, fears about what isn't known, and hard steps. We might not be ready for the 'starting line' today, but when we 'begin' something with God, we are sure to appreciate the reward at the 'finish line'.

The parts in between the start and the finish are what require us to have patience. Maybe that is why it makes the start so hard for us at times. We don't want the 'middle part' of the journey as much as we want the 'finishing part'. The stuff that happens in the middle part of the journey is what makes the journey worthwhile, though. It isn't just the finish line - because all the stuff we learn along the way is found in the middle part - the finish line just marks the 'reward' of the journey.

Some have said reaching the finish line is good, but it is what we do AFTER we finish that matters more than anything. I would like to challenge that a bit because it is what we do IN the race that matters. The steps we take 'within' the race determine our finish - either with grace and well-being or with unfulfilled dreams and purposes. Steps taken in obedience 'within' the race will not be easy, nor will they be overwhelmingly clear at times. Yet, those steps of obedience will help us finish well.

We aren't always cut out for the race ahead of us, but when we step up to the starting line, we had better be ready for the entirety of the race. A runner prepares for the race. What we do today in terms of our quiet time with Jesus, time in his Word, and moments of contemplating his purposes for our lives can be viewed as our 'preparation time' for the race he calls us to run. Without this all-important preparation, we run without purpose, and aimless running is not a race! Just sayin!

Who gets the credit on this one?

It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit. 

(Harry S. Truman)

It was Truman who was first quoted as saying, "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen." There are times we feel the heat rising in our lives and we get doggone uncomfortable in the process. If we took Truman's suggestion, we'd bolt every time we felt a bit too uncomfortable for our liking. If we always bolted when things got a little too 'heated' in our lives, what do you think we'd accomplish? Not a whole heck of a lot, that's for sure! We'd spend more time running that we'd spending 'accomplishing'!

The fastest runner does not always win the race, the strongest soldier does not always win the battle, the wisest does not always have food, the smartest does not always become wealthy, and the talented one does not always receive praise. (Ecclesiastes 9:11)

We ALL can start the race, but will we ALL finish it? Some will drop out along the way - not because they didn't want to 'win', but because they saw the race as too hard for them to finish. We may not finish 'first', but if we persevere until we cross the finish line, we have indeed won the race! Credit goes to the first to cross the line - in all the races on this earth that we can think of from the Kentucky Derby to the Boston Marathon. With a different perspective toward 'running the race', we can ALL be 'winners', even when we don't cross the line first.

To persevere means we persist in anything we have undertaken, while maintaining our purpose in spite of difficulties faced along the way. There will be obstacles, and it is certain that discouragement will enter into our thoughts along the way. The goal is to continue steadfastly in spite of all these things that seek to dissuade us from the original aim. I used to have a teacher who told me if we all started well, we'd end well. That isn't always the case in real life, is it? Sometimes we start pretty well but do a miserable job finishing what we started.

God isn't after the fastest or strongest runners in this race - he is looking for those who will persevere till the finish line. I am planning on being a finisher - how about you? Are you running to 'win', or to let the 'race' bring out whatever it takes to get yourself across the finish line? If you are like me, the 'whatever it takes' may be a little harder than you imagined when you first started 'running'. We aren't seeking fame or acclaim - we are just seeking to finish. We aren't always going to be the fastest, smartest, wisest, or most talented - but when we run with all we've got - we will cross the finish line well! Just sayin!

The prize is already ours

I keep running hard toward the finish line to get the prize that is mine because God has called me through Christ Jesus to life up there in heaven. (Philippians 3:14 ERV)

I read this passage again this morning in the Easy to Read version and I saw a couple of things that really hadn't dawned on me before. While not every translation puts the original intent perfectly, there is some validity to just looking at the passage from a different perspective once in a while as it can bring things to light you may not have seen in quite that perspective before! Here's what I saw:

- The prize is already ours! We are running a race that is already pre-determined to have us as winners - to gain the prize, we just keep running. I think there are a whole lot of us that have the idea we run to attain - but we really run because it is already ours.

- We are called, so we should live up to our calling! Through Christ Jesus, we are called. In him, we have a new purpose and destiny. We are destined to live life, not just here on this earth, but in heaven. We are called to life up there - so maybe we need to adjust our focus a little higher at times - because too "low" of a focus may limit what we see!

- There is a finish line! At times, we might think this will never end, especially when the journey gets really, really hard. We don't want it to last too much longer, but there is a pre-determined finish line already clearly marked out by our loving heavenly Father. We just need to keep making progress toward the finish line.

- We don't have to run at full-out speed all the time, but we are asked to keep running! There is such a thing as pacing yourself for the journey ahead - to run too fast, too quickly may make it harder to actually finish. We need to speed up when there is energy, slow down to regroup energy, and then pick it up again when that energy is renewed. God is always going to provide for our renewal, but we need to be running in order to be in a position for those "rest stations" along the way.

The rest of the story is also helpful in order to understand why we run and what we are running toward:

12 I don’t mean that I am exactly what God wants me to be. (My thoughts:  I don't think any of us is there yet, but we can move together toward that goal!) I have not yet reached that goal (My thoughts: Nor have you). But I continue trying to reach it and make it mine (My thoughts: We don't choose the prize - it is chosen for us - but we do run in such a way that we "make it ours"). That’s what Christ Jesus wants me to do. It is the reason he made me his. (My thoughts: We don't belong to ourselves - we are bought with a price and now we belong to him.) 13 Brothers and sisters, I know that I still have a long way to go. But there is one thing I do: I forget what is in the past and try as hard as I can to reach the goal before me. (My thoughts: You can help me focus on the finish line - but you must be there alongside me in order to do that. You're running this with me - not against me! We are all winners! We all receive the prize!) 

Just sayin!

Not the beginning, nor the ending - but the middle

We are reaching the end of 2014 - for some a grateful end to a tough year, while others will look back and not even realize the passing of time.  Some will mourn the loss of loved ones, or the devastation of properties in the wake of some natural disaster.  Others will celebrate new life coming, or the advancement into a new place in life's journey.  Regardless of mourning or celebration, it all comes to an end and it is the end which also marks a new beginning.  We don't mourn forever - this is not God's way.  We don't celebrate without something also taking us down a pathway of "lesser" enjoyment - this is the way growth occurs.  It is not uncommon for us to judge the end of something to determine if it was worth the journey - the final scene determining the value of the whole.  We forget the "middle" simply because the beginning and the end stand in such stark contrast to each other at times.  Yet, it is the middle where the rubber hit the road, my friends.  It is the middle which often determines the outcome!

The end of something is better than its beginning. Not giving up in spirit is better than being proud in spirit. (Ecclesiastes 7:8 NLV)

It is the tenacity to see things through to the end which I think makes the difference in how we interpret the outcome of the matter.  There are times when we just want to give up, not really concerned with the outcome because the "middle" is so overwhelming.  This is when God comes alongside and just picks up the pieces of our lives - taking hold of burden and helping us to rise again.  If we walk away from the pieces, we never see the finished object. We just remember the pieces.  God's plan is in bringing order and structure out of the pieces, not in leaving them in rubble within our lives.

Although the beginning of a matter is marked with challenge and often the fear we will never succeed in the matter, the middle is often the most fatiguing.  It is there we see the stuff we are really made of - the things we really place our trust in.  The middle is where we see the "real us" and the depth of our trust in either our own ability and effort, or the strength and ability of Christ within.

The most telling part of the "middle" is our attitude.  Many of us will struggle with the "middle" of the matters of life.  We don't want to let others know how much we are struggling, though, so we cover up our struggles with a "strong facade".  In deference to all of us who actually do this let me just say you are not alone - I am there with you!  It is touch letting others see us as vulnerable and struggling.  Yet, in the honesty of being open to the struggle and honest about the impact of the "middle" upon our spirit, emotions, and thoughts, we are making it possible for others to become the instruments God can actually use in the midst of our struggle.

I am not advocating we become "billboards of defeat" here, but that we be honest about how it is we are dealing with the stuff life throws our way.  Those hurdles we have to jump are likely being run by others, as well!  We don't run alone - we run as teams!  When we see the ability of others to overcome the same hurdles we are having to leap over in the middle of our storms, we sometimes find more courage to take the first step toward overcoming them!

My track coach used to always tell us not to focus on the starting block, but on the finish line.  Yet, in between the two there was a whole lot of distance, some obstacles to overcome, and a whole lot of "traffic" getting in our way.  The endurance to finish well is what we really had to work on - not so much the start!  The pace by which we ran made the difference in how we crossed the finish line.  The "burn" we had left as we approached the finish line made the difference between fractions of seconds which could either help us finish or peter out.

So, as we look at the close of our year, let us remember we will face new beginnings with the new year, but in between the beginnings and the endings there will be a variety of "middles" to run!  Remember a couple of things:

- You don't run alone!  God sent his Son so we didn't have to run on our own merit.  Christ sent the Holy Spirit so we had someone to help us navigate the "traffic" and "hurdles" along the way.

- The race isn't about the beginning - it is about the "middle" and the pace by which we measure out how it is we will finish.  The pace-setter may be someone who sees our struggle and comes alongside to help us out.  Never underestimate the power of a pace-setter.  When we are honest about our struggles, someone who has run the race before can help us navigate the hurdles along the way.

We must not let the "middle" overcome us - we are overcomers of the middle!  Just sayin!

Running with all ya got!

Did you ever stop to think about what it means to be "spirit-begotten"?  I have taken a couple of opportunities to focus on this idea of being "begotten" and just what "family line" has to do with the type of person we are declared to be.  Notice I said "declared to be".  If we are to be the type of people we are declared to be, we have to stop walking in the old patterns and start walking in the new.  For example, if a prisoner is to be set free from a jail cell after 20 years in confinement, he must learn what it like to have freedoms of his own.  He doesn't have the same degree of restrictions his bondage kept him in.  He has new freedoms which he may pursue - not just think about.

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. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, ² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross,scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³ Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.  (Hebrews 12:1-2 NIV)

In examining this passage today, I see a call to live a different "type" of life than we did without Christ.  In fact, there is a call to live:

- Energetically - "let's run the race".  In a physical race, we need energy to keep running, don't we?  Energetic is suggestive of possessing vigor, the ability to make an effect.  It carries the idea of being active and able to be exerted to the fullest point.  Vigor is what gives the runner the intensity, or inner strength to run.  When force is exerted against the runner, such as fatigue, the runner possesses a certain ability to press beyond the exertion - putting themselves out there just a little bit more.

- Ordered - "the race that is laid out in front of us".  Seldom do you see a runner get up in the morning, don his running shoes, and then just set off in some random direction.  In fact, he has an awareness of the course he will take - probably scoping it out in advance and measuring distance, terrain, etc.  We run an ordered race - one set out for us in various ways.  First, it is set out in the Word of God.  The Word defines the course, describes the terrain, and gives us awareness of the obstacles in our path.  Second, we have an example of another "runner" to keep us focused on the track ahead - Christ.  If his example and his Word are not enough, we have the Holy Spirit as our "coach" to keep us running in an ordered, and consistent manner.  It is not a course we define on our own - it is defined by God.

- With perseverance - "run with perseverance".  The race requires the willingness to persist.  This type of willingness does not come from the mind - it comes from the inner man.  Despite the "state" we encounter, there is a stability and determination on the inside which will not be affected by what we see on the outside.  There is always opposition in a race, isn't there?  There is always some kind of obstacle in the path.  No matter the opposition or the obstacle, there is an inner determination which spurs us on.  Some call this commitment.  I'd like us to consider this to be a choice - to be actively obedient to the calling we possess.

- Focused - "fixing our eyes on Jesus".  In a race, energy waxes and wanes.  The tugs of the physical man sometimes want to outdo the commitment of the inner spiritual man.  Our bodies tire, but our spirit is committed.  Why?  Simply because of the focus we maintain.  The focus of our eye always determines the course of our life.  

- Motivated - "the pioneer and perfecter of faith".  When we see value in something, there is a motivation to pursue it, isn't there?  For example, if you go to the doctor and hear you must lose weight and control your diet because your cholesterol is at an unhealthy level, you are experiencing high blood pressures, and your blood sugars are elevated, you might be more determined than when you simply had to buy a bigger size of slacks.  If you couple this with the knowledge of both parents dying at younger ages, you might see by the example and interpret by the warning signs, you need to change!  There is a motivation created by the value we place on the example and the signs.  We are told to place Christ in front as our example.  We are told to explore scripture to interpret the signs.  Motivation comes as we keep these two in focus.

- Unencumbered - "let us throw off everything that hinders".  There are a lot of things in this life which "weigh us down" in the race, aren't there?  We have thoughts which we just cannot seem to break free of.  There are choices we make which load guilt and shame upon us.  The apathy of the years in which we remained inactive have also slowed us down.  The writer tells us to "throw these off" - they hinder, therefore, they are weights.  The hardest part of running is in knowing what to leave behind!  

The good news is the family into which we have been "begotten".  We are "begotten" into a family of "runners".  The example before us is Christ.  The runners in the race are just like us - complete with the baggage they must lay aside, struggling with getting the "values" right, and learning to commit with their entire being.  We don't run alone!  We are in a "family" of runners!  Isn't that good to know?  So, let us run with perseverance the race set out before us, not encumbered by the weights of this world, but focused on the glory set out before us.  Run with all ya got!  I hope to see you at the finish line right alongside me!  Just sayin!

Running for a cause

I have a friend who is into running - she does marathons - long ones, at that!  Goodness, running all those miles and doing it over and over again - it just amazes me what some people have the ability to do when they put their minds to it.  Most remarkably, she is a runner with a cause - she runs her marathons in dedication to those children who suffer from leukemia.  Now, we could take a lesson from my friend, couldn't we?  We could learn to "run" instead of being "sedentary" - and we could learn to do it with a purpose instead of haphazardly!


I want you to get out there and walk—better yet, run!—on the road God called you to travel. I don't want any of you sitting around on your hands. I don't want anyone strolling off, down some path that goes nowhere. And mark that you do this with humility and discipline—not in fits and starts, but steadily, pouring yourselves out for each other in acts of love, alert at noticing differences and quick at mending fences. (Ephesians 4:1-3 The Message)


I believe Paul had this in mind as he pens these words from his prison cell to the Ephesian church - "get out there and run".  He begins with the idea of learning to "walk", but quickly turns to the idea of "running".  Life is like this - a progression.  We are not to remain "in place" too long - if we do, we begin to gather moss!


Look at his instruction closely and you will find some pretty awesome lessons in these three verses.  First, he calls attention to the fact we are on a road we have been "called" to travel.  Now, I know some of you might want to stop reading at this point, but hear me out.  This road might not be the easiest, or the quickest to get us from point A to point B, but it is the one God has "called" us to travel.  There is no better place to be on mission with Jesus.  As you might imagine, when we are "called" there is some attention which goes into the planning of the journey we are engaged in.  Think of waiting for a table at a restaurant.  What is the "action" which is going on behind the scenes to ready the table for us?  Isn't it the clearing away of debris and the setting out of all we will have need of in order to enjoy our meal?  God is this way - when he calls, he clears away the debris which otherwise be in our way and he prepares everything we will need for the journey.


Second, he calls us to action.  Too many times we are content to sit around on our hands - thinking we are unable or ill-equipped to run the race.  Guess what?  We are more equipped than we may ever know!  Until we get off our hands, we don't realize just how much God can use them!  Picture yourself sitting on your hands - or even try it right now.  What happens when you are sitting on your hands?  Well, you don't have freedom of movement, do you?  You are restricted.  You also don't have the ability to "balance" yourself too well.  Let someone come over to you right now while you are sitting on your hands and see just how well you can resist the push they exert.  Your first tendency is to remove your hands and steady yourself!  Hands are meant for action - when they are restricted in their activity, they are not being used as they were designed.  God has designed you with a purpose - let him use you as he designed!


Third, our walk is not a leisurely stroll.  When you go out on an evening walk, with no destination in mind, just to get a little "stroll" in before you retire for the evening, what is your frame of mind?  It might be to take in a little fresh air, enjoy some birds singing in the trees somewhere, or even to just kick a few stones along the path.  You really aren't going from point A to point B, are you?  You are "strolling" - a form of wandering.  Paul's warning to us is to run, not stroll!  When you run - there is a purpose.  When you stroll - you roam - and it may not be in the right direction!


Fourth, we are to avoid the fits and starts.  Lest I meddle just way too much, I will simply confess my own faults here.  Whenever I set out on a certain action, I have two choices - see it through to completion, or give up along the way.  Too many times I have chose the latter.  I get started very well, but end up quitting just short of the goal.  Ugh!  How do we get to a place of being consistent in our walk?  Well, for me, it is in beginning again!  I might quit, but in beginning again, I am off to a whole new start.  The same is true for you - beginning again is a place of new beginnings.  This is the idea of the old being behind us and the new being before us.  So, regardless of how many times I quit - the "starting again" is paramount to making me into a steady and consistent runner!


Last, but definitely not least, Paul points out the importance of how we run.  We are to do it with humility and love.  In fact, he is quick to tell us of the need for forgiveness along the path we run!  We are to be quick to mend fences - why?  I think it is because we do our best running when we are in the race with others!  We need others to spur us on to complete the race.  Maybe this is why my friend runs marathons - because she doesn't do it alone!  There are others "pacing" her through to completion!  


You may not be running literal marathons, but you are running the race of your life.  No matter how you start - walking, running a little and walking a little, or at a full-out jog - START.  For some, START AGAIN!  Your only fulfilled when engaged in the mission to which you are called - so start running!  You are not running "just because" - you are running for a "cause"!


For those who might like to follow Julie's page (my runner friend) in her runs for Lincoln, please see her page at http://www.facebook.com/RunningForLincoln .

Adrenaline boost!

^1-3Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we'd better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!

(Hebrews 12:1-3)

The eleventh chapter of Hebrews is a record of many individuals throughout history that faced insurmountable doubts in their faith and came out on the other side of those doubts, confidence firmly rooted in God's ability to deliver them from both their circumstances and their sin.  In the passage above, we are encouraged to take one final look at how we are "running the race".  Let me "unpack" this a little for you:

1. We have examples to follow.  We don't walk this Christian walk without plenty of positive examples to follow.  The record of their lives is a legacy to both their struggle with faith, and their assurance of faith which if firmly rooted in God's ability within their lives.  We have no reason, or excuse, to say we "don't know how" to live a life of faith in the midst of disaster, loss of loved ones, struggles with depression, financial crisis, fearful circumstances - because we have examples in scripture of individuals that have done just that.
2. We will one day be an example for others to follow.  We may never know who it is that we will influence by our walk of faith.  Most of the time we don't think about that - but it is true - others will look to us and glean from our example what they need to run the race.
3. We have to "strip down" in order to run the race correctly.  No runner "burdens" themselves by putting on layers and layers of extra clothes, packs of supplies, and tons of water.  Instead, they count on the running to generate the temperature regulation they will need, the pit stops along the way to refill their "energy" for the run.  We often find that the struggle in "running" the race is in the amount of "weight" we are attempting to carry into the race.  Burdens are not meant to be carried on our shoulders - they are meant to be laid down at the feet of the one who can carry them for us.
4. We need to deal with our spiritual "health".  No spiritual fat or parasitic sins to keep us from running and finishing as we should.  An over-abundance of fat in our physical bodies serves to damage the heart, add mass to our already maxed physical frame, and slow down our ability to have the energy for the needs that present themselves.  Fat takes nearly twice as long to breakdown into energy (fuel) our bodies can use.  The secret of being physically lean is in taking in what our bodies can consume in a day - no more, no less.  The secret of being spiritually "lean" is in giving our spirit man what it needs for the race - regular, consistent feedings on those things that build us up.  Parasitic sins are just what they sound like - those things that silently eat away at the integrity of our spiritual health.  Small compromises that eventually lead to bigger ones.  A parasite is seldom recognized until it has done its destructive work is nearly complete!
5. We need to study how Jesus ran the race.  No greater example exists - he forged ahead in spite of the difficulties.  One thing we see evidenced in his life was his focus.  He kept his eyes on his Father - looking to him to lead him through the challenges he faced.  We'd do well to learn from his example.  Any runner will tell you the value of focus.  Focus determines our course, keeps us on track for our destination, and aids us in taking the race one segment at a time.  A long distance runner does not focus on the finish line, but on segments along the way - always aware of the finish line, but keenly aware of the necessary segments along the way.

Last, but not least, when our faith is waning, we need to recount our steps along the way.  When we learn to do this well, we will see how much we have sustenance has been available along the way.  We become aware of the keeping and regenerating power of our God.  It is not an easy race to run - but it has rewards that are innumerable.  When our destiny is before us, our hearts are bolstered in their faith.  Seeing Jesus clearly is always enough to "shoot adrenaline" into our souls!