Off and running

Stay on Course

Posted on by Betsy

It takes a certain kind of insanity to run a Half Marathon eleven years after you ran your first “one-and-done” Half. It seemed like a good idea last summer. A run was being planned in a town where my daughter lives, and I had the idea that if I signed up, I would not slack off on running like I normally do in the colder months. The starting line was a five-minute walk from the house, and it started at 7:00 am, which meant I didn’t have to get up terribly early … something I absolutely hate. Everything about the race sounded appealing. Then my friend and running partner decided to join me at the last minute, making it even better. Did I set any records? Nope. Did I finish without puking (my one and only goal)? Happily, yes. Did I stay in better shape, knowing the race was coming up at the end of January? Yes, until I broke my arm three days before Christmas. But for the most part, I was satisfied with how it all came out and thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience. Especially the finish line. And not puking.

God has established a finish line for each one of us. He invites us to stay on the course he has set before us and urges us to not deviate from it. His is a road that leads to redemption. His is a road that leads to salvation. His is a road that leads to a future with hope. And you’re never alone.

Psalm 119 (The Message)

1-8 You’re blessed when you stay on course,
    walking steadily on the road revealed by God.
You’re blessed when you follow his directions,
    doing your best to find him.
That’s right—you don’t go off on your own;
    you walk straight along the road he set.

There have been many times in my life when I went off on my own. How about you? I regret every step that took me away from God’s will and God’s way. Thank God, Jesus came to help us get back on track through the atonement of sin and the forgiveness he purchased on the cross on our behalf.

You, God, prescribed the right way to live;
    now you expect us to live it.
Oh, that my steps might be steady,
    keeping to the course you set;
Then I’d never have any regrets
    in comparing my life with your counsel.

Do you have regrets about your past? Do you grieve over your sins? Do you carry the heaviness of your misbehavior? Jesus walks along side of you and is able to shoulder every burden you are carrying, if you are willing to submit and yield to his instruction.

I thank you for speaking straight from your heart;
    I learn the pattern of your righteous ways.
I’m going to do what you tell me to do;
    don’t ever walk off and leave me.

God will never, ever walk off and leave you. Just as my running partner joined me for the race, Jesus is ready, able, and willing to run with you and teach you the pattern of his ways. You are never alone when you invite Jesus to run the race with you.

Steady on!

See Nana Run by Sarah Haas Callahan

Acts of Faith

Posted on by Betsy

I love to run but I hate to do races. Races are the worst. You have to be diligent in your pre-race workouts for months, and then on race day, you get up at an ungodly hour and run a course you’ve never seen before, being passed by young people pushing strollers with their dogs trotting alongside of them. Or maybe that last part is just me. I have been beaten by many a kid/dog combination in our local Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day. It is a little humiliating.

I mention this to let you know that I have officially lost my mind and have registered for a Half Marathon in Celebration, Florida. This charming little town is a favorite place of mine, and I have loved morning runs there. But to commit to a long-distance run when I will have to get up too early to run too long to be passed by too many dogs and strollers is either an act of insanity, or an act of faith. We’ll find out in January.

But even now, that commitment has landed in my soul, and I am motivated to be faithful to my daily runs. I have included a long run once a week into my training, just to remind myself that 13.1 miles won’t be doable unless I keep going now. This is the only sane part of doing a race … your commitment to it in the future informs your discipline in the present. It is an interesting dynamic: commitment informs discipline, but discipline also informs commitment. Plus, there is always the hope that there will be one dog running slower than you.

Paul uses a beautiful race analogy in this passage from Hebrews:

Hebrews 12 (The Message)

12 1-3 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.

I have always loved this passage. We don’t know if Paul was a runner, but he sure knew how to finish a race. This passage comes right after a listing of all the people who suffered for their faith and performed many acts of faith to get us where we are today. These people kept their eyes on Jesus through persecution and suffering, knowing that the reward was just ahead. That fueled their running and kept them on track.

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!

Are you flagging in your faith? Have sin and doubt weighed you down? Remember the stories of those who came before us. Remember the path that Jesus created. Keep moving forward and don’t stop.

Never, ever quit. Keep that finish line in sight and keep on keeping on. Just fix your eyes on Jesus.

Celebration Lake

Off and Running

Posted on by Betsy

How many among you are runners? I am one of those weird people who enjoys running… in certain circumstances. Mind you, I definitely have some requirements for when I like to run.

I like to run when:

it’s not too early,

it’s not too late,

it’s not too hot,

it’s not too cold,

it’s not raining,

it’s not too humid,

or when a dog is chasing me.

For over a decade I have run with two women who are my bffs, therapists, hand-holders, comediennes, and steadfast supporters of everything I have ever tried. One of our husbands dubbed us as “toggers,” i.e. talking joggers. Really, the whole point is to talk. Running is secondary. We call ourselves Elite Toggers because when it comes to talking while running, no one can hold a candle to our nonsense.

I don’t know if Paul was a runner/jogger/togger but he really had the lingo down. In a letter to church at Philippi, he uses running imagery to describe the pursuit of all things holy.

He begins by laying out his credentials as a properly born Jew:

 Philippians 3 (The Message)

You know my pedigree: a legitimate birth, circumcised on the eighth day; an Israelite from the elite tribe of Benjamin; a strict and devout adherent to God’s law; a fiery defender of the purity of my religion, even to the point of persecuting the church; a meticulous observer of everything set down in God’s law Book.

Then Paul goes on to say that he is throwing away all of his credentials for the sake of Christ. He contends that any gain his credentials gave him are a loss now because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus his Lord.

10-11 I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience his resurrection power, be a partner in his suffering, and go all the way with him to death itself. If there was any way to get in on the resurrection from the dead, I wanted to do it.

And then the beautiful running analogy:

12-14 I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back.

How about you? Are you running toward Jesus or trying to slink away? Do you keep turning back toward your sinful behavior, past mistakes, old habits, and ways of doing things that slow down your forward motion?

Make today a day to be off and running. God is at the finish line, so keep your eye on the goal!

Elite Toggers by Wende Pritchard