Whew, I am tuckered!

I am not a 'runner' like some are - simply because my knees cannot take that stress. I do enjoy a good brisk walk, though. In a spiritual sense, we all 'run' a race, so to speak - just as in the natural sense of running, we need to learn the spiritual principles that help us to run so as not to hurt ourselves. Some of us will run in a direction all of our own choosing, but when we do, we run alone. As a believer in Christ, we run in a race alongside the greatest runner of all times - Christ himself. If having his example (pace-setting) before us is not enough, he left us with a huge crowd of "models" who also ran the race and won. We can learn much by considering how they ran.

Do 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 MSG)

Strip down! In the military, we learned to run in combat boots, full fatigue uniform, and sometimes even with our packs on our backs. If you have ever tried to run any distance in combat boots, you know this is not an easy feat. They are just not built for running! Let alone carrying a pack and in a uniform not intended to keep us from sweating!  It is amazing to consider just how much "stuff" we want to carry into the spiritual race we run each and every day. We have burdens we just don't want to let go of because we are too stubborn or think we somehow 'deserve' those burdens - serving only to weigh us down. We have covered up our sins with ill-fitting facades that don't let us 'breathe' at all - adding extra weight and discomfort all around. We are to have our feet shod with the gospel of peace - - yet we plod along in "combat boots" of our own doing! We hold onto anger and bitterness as though they were attached to our very soles (actually they are attached to our "souls"). The instruction to us is quite simple, but oh so hard to do: STRIP DOWN!

Start running! No race is ever won until we actually begin running, but a runner will likely tell you there is advantages in building endurance in walking first! I have been both the observer on the sidelines and the runner in the race. I no longer can run in the natural sense due to the damage my knee has suffered over the years, but I can still cheer on those who do. In some senses, I miss the ability to run (at least with any grace and semblance of knowing that I know what I am doing). There was something in the adrenaline rush of running alongside others -- pushing beyond your perceived capacity to run any longer until you got that second burst of energy that helped you go just a little bit further and push a little bit harder. You don't get the energy until you run! Have you ever seen a runner out at 2:30 in the morning? I have. Why are they out there at that hour? Their body craves the run. I wonder how much we actually crave the run in the spiritual sense? We likely barely crave the walk, much less the run!

Keep your eyes on the finish line! If you run, there must be a destination in mind - you cannot just head out into the wild and run - you have to plan for pitstops and places of rest. If you just set off running without a goal in mind, you might not ever make it home. I think of the character from "Forrest Gump" played by Tom Hanks. In the movie, he sets out one day to "run". He has no destination in mind -- he just runs without really considering his starting point or his end point. When he gets to the opposite coastline, he stops, turns around, and runs again. He does this several times until one day, he just stops. He is finished running. This is similar to us running without a goal in mind. We set out, run a long time, then just stop. We really don't have much to show for our running, but we can say we "ran". How much better would it be to have run a race in which the goal was clearly in mind?

Study how Jesus ran! A good runner studies how others endure the race. He looks at how they pace themselves, where they rest, when they take nourishment -- how they have run stands as an example for us to follow. Imagine learning how Jesus "paced" himself. You don't see him arriving on the scene (earth), taking over local governments, clearing the temples of all sinful characters, and announcing "I am God", do you? He allows himself to be "paced" by the one who knows how the race should be run (his Father). He had dedicated times of rest and solitude. He took nourishment (both natural and spiritual) because without it, he'd not be able to continue on. Why do we attempt to run any differently?
You will get weary! Running fatigues the one running. What we do with the weariness determines if we will end the race well! Do we rest a while, regrouping our spiritual strength, renewing our stamina to run hard again, or do we just give up?

If we allow weariness to keep us from running hard again, the race beats us! God warns us of the weariness which will come upon even the best runner. His advice to us -- review the race from the viewpoint of the winner! That will shoot adrenaline deep into your soul indeed! So, are you running today? Have you stripped down? Is your goal clearly defined, or does it need some refining? Who are you holding out in front of you as a "pace-setter" in this race? Are you finding yourself weary? Maybe it is time to refocus, renew, and re-engage in the race. See you on the "track", my friends! Just sayin!

Not chiseled in stone

Back in caveman days, the hammer and chisel were employed to record specific details that may have needed recording for others to see. The stone would be carved out, or perhaps a large section of fallen tree. The use of such rudimentary tools to communicate are a thing of the past. In today's electronic age, we seldom resort to "snail mail" as a means of keeping in touch with others in our lives, much less the use of hammer and chisel on stone. It is the "immediacy" of email and instant messaging which makes it all the more appealing to us - the ability to 'get the message out' to the intended audience in record speed draws us in. In the past, the "news" we'd share about changes in our lives would come via the postal service, arriving to the recipient days after the "news" was indeed "news". In the military, we had mail call. It was a time when we'd all gather around in hopes of one link to home in the form of a small envelope filled with "news" and maybe even a little token of love. In turn, our loved ones would hurry to the mailbox when they'd see the familiar mailman's truck passing by, hoping from news from their loved one stationed so far away. We all want to know the "news" of another's life - but we forget just how this 'news' is really recorded.

Does it sound like we're patting ourselves on the back, insisting on our credentials, asserting our authority? Well, we're not. Neither do we need letters of endorsement, either to you or from you. You yourselves are all the endorsement we need. Your very lives are a letter that anyone can read by just looking at you. Christ himself wrote it—not with ink, but with God's living Spirit; not chiseled into stone, but carved into human lives—and we publish it. (2 Corinthians 3:1-3 MSG)

We are all "writing letters" of a different sort - the letter written on a human heart touched by the hand of a forgiving and loving God. These are letters which are "read" by many, oftentimes without us even knowing we are 'being read'. The "news" of a changed life is indeed something to be heralded. I want to challenge us for a moment. Let me pose a couple of thoughts about what is perhaps being "written" in our hearts today - news we may not even realize is being recorded there. "News" is the report of something recent - a new event or occurrence. What can you point to in your life today which reflects the hand of God writing on your heart something which is new or fresh? If you are having a little difficulty with this one, then maybe it is time to seek him out - taking some time to allow his touch to be felt almost always assures us of seeing the evidence of his "writing" in our lives.

It may not be understood, but "news" is usually a collection of things - not just one point or idea. In order to "frame" the "news", one has to "tell the story" - from various angles and vantage points. When God sets out to write his story in us, he "frames" the story. There is something about God's writing that points others to see the trail grace has made as it traces over our souls. In the reviewing of the various "points", one begins to see a clear picture of who and what God has done in our lives - drawing them in to have God do similar things in theirs. "News" is something written and expressed - it is not "news" if it is kept to oneself. It is simply "new" knowledge if we keep it to ourselves. God's purpose for "writing" on our hearts is so others can see and enjoy the story. Paul wrote to the Corinthian church that he did not need all kinds of letters of endorsement from others - his greatest letter of endorsement was his changed life. Our lives are evidence of God's "re-creative" power. They are "news" worthy of expression. So, really there are various forms of "mail" we read in life - the instant electronic type, the snail mail type, and the ever-present "mail" of a life touched by his hand. Others are "reading" us each and everyday. I wonder what "news" they will see today by looking upon my life? How about yours - what "news" will you reveal to others today? Just askin!