I’ve always enjoyed sprinting; I’ve always hated long-distance running. There has always been something about the momentary chase that thrilled me; whether it was sacking a Quarterback, catching a running back from behind, or snagging a ball or Frisbee thought to be uncatchable out of the air. Or even just beating someone to the corner and turning on the jets toward the end-zone. I always believed that people ran distance races because they weren’t fast enough to play “real” sports. (Of course, I don’t feel that way today.) Why would a person want to take that much time to do something that boring? Or maybe it was because I have memories of my dad taking me out and throwing the ball to me, and making me run drills in order to get faster; “get your knees higher” was always in the background. These days, I’m not nearly as fast, but I’m still fast enough to catch people off guard. I take joy in beating guys who are 10 years younger than me. Over the last couple of years, a bunch of us guys typically play flag football in the fall, and one of the reasons I love it is because we get to sprint. I might be pushing about 2(many) pounds these days and may not look like much of a threat on the outside, but that doesn’t mean I won’t be all over you like a big-cat-on-meat once that ball is hiked. I’ve always found mass-times-velocity to be a winning combination.
But this week it didn’t work out, because there were other factors I wasn’t considering: time and pain.
So, I ran a 5K race this weekend. I did nothing to prepare for it, and now I’m paying the consequences. It was funny because someone asked if I was going for a “PR.” The answer was a laughable, but adamant: NO. Back in the day, weapons-grade-JPH could run 3 miles in sub-20. That is no longer the case. Long gone are the clean-shaven days when I arose 5 days a week at 6 AM to run. Those days have been replaced with a beard, a snooze button, and a 60-pound restrictor plate.
Nevertheless, this 5K did have one positive note despite all the agony and pain: it gave me a long time to think because of its incredibly slow stop-and-go pace.
And, the thing I was thinking about the most was what Paul said when he talked about running the race, (1 Cor 9:24, Gal 5:7, 2 Tim 4:7), as well as the words of the writer of Hebrews 12:1. I don’t believe these writers were talking about a sprint, because they talk about finishing the race, and having the perseverance to do so. Most sprinters can see the whole course when they start the race, but “seeing the whole course” is hardly ever true when it comes to a distance course.
There is also a different mindset between those running a sprint as opposed to those running a long-distance race. I don’t ever remember anyone ever being happy to just finish a sprint, but just finishing a distance race often brings happiness to those running it. The finishers often proudly display the 13.1 or 26.2 in the back widow of their cars, even though they probably didn’t finish in 1st place. Distance races are much more painful for a longer duration of time, and overcoming that discomfort and not stopping or quitting is where the reward is found.
Looking back over my life I think I have enjoyed sprinting in many aspects of my life, and not just when it comes to running. Often I can approach my finances, health, work, and even my relationship with God as a sprint instead of a steady long distance race. I want to buy something now on credit, instead of saving up for it; I try to lose all my excess weight this week instead of maintaining a proper diet throughout the year; I wait until the last minute to get a project done; or I stop reading the Word and stop praying every day, and then try to catch up when I feel like life is getting tough.
I heard someone say one time that everything worth having will cost some pain. I don’t think I really ever thought about it in that way, but the more I think about it, the more I agree with it. Finances, Education, Occupation, Children, and Relationships all have value because of what you’ve invested in them and, if any of them fail or are taken away, you experience pain. When it comes to running the race of faith in Christ, I think the same is true. At times, it is going to be painful. But the reward is worth it.
I always admired the story of David when Araunah tried to give him everything he had for a sacrifice to the Lord, but David turned him down saying, "No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing." King David understood that, without pain and sacrifice, the reward had no worth.
My approach to the recent 5K also brought to mind another scripture and lesson: Matt 25:1-13, the parable of the Ten Virgins. It’s kind of funny to me because, for years, I would read this parable and would basically just skip over it because I believed it was clearly directed toward women and weddings. Surely the creator of the universe would know that, once a “wedding” is mentioned, all the ladies would immediately perk up and all the men would immediately lose interest. So obviously, I told myself, I wasn’t the target audience for this scripture. Then one day, I was preparing to lead a small group in a discussion of this parable, and decided that I should at least try to figure it out, so I could explain to others what Jesus was trying to tell “the ladies.”
On the day of the 5K, I showed up having not prepared for the race (except for waking up and getting dressed for it), but in my mind I was thinking I’ve ran 5k before … simple, I’m just not going to stop. However, in truth, I did not prepare for the race, and I definitely didn’t go all out to get ready for it. I think that is what happened with the 5 virgins who didn’t make it to the banquet. They didn’t fully commit, but instead attempted to do the minimum necessary requirements to succeed, or what they imagined success to look like.
Whether it’s a race, your work, a relationship, or your walk with Christ, you are treading on dangerous ground if you try to get through by doing the least amount necessary. Just because you’re going to Church every Sunday -- tithing, partaking of the sacraments (the list can go on forever) – this does not necessarily mean anything. Living “righteously” on Sunday -- but doing whatever you want the rest of the week -- isn’t what we are called to be in Christ.
All of this was reiterated to me on Sunday by two things that were mentioned in the sermon. One is that it is better to be, than to do; and the other is if you make something optional it usually ends up not happening at all. You can do things that a good spouse, employee, or friend would do and that would be nice in the moment, but it would be better if you were a good spouse … because you’re going to tend to do those things because you are good. It’s the difference between being a good spouse all the time as opposed to doing the things of a good spouse part of the time. That’s why I think Christ referred to Simon as Peter “the Rock” long before Peter displayed any characteristics that would traditionally be associated with that name. Peter eventually developed into the person he was supposed to be.
For instance, let’s assume you are an employee whose boss isn’t always around, and you are able to show up to work whenever you. Do you show up to work on time because that is who you are as an employee? Or do you show up on time because you were caught being late, or because you were afraid of being caught being late? I remember working as a store manager and having a particular employee who was never late and never missed a meeting. I was genuinely concerned about him when he didn’t show up to a meeting one day. Thankfully, nothing was wrong, but I knew it was outside his character, and I wasn’t upset with him because he missed a meeting. Then I had employees who were late all the time and no matter their excuse, the reason for their absence was inexcusable because I knew they were not making it a priority, and just didn’t care. I imagine “being” as taking the initiative. Does it mean the same to your spouse that you take out the trash every time they ask you to do it, (during the next commercial), or would it mean more if you were paying attention and you knew it was something that was important to them so you did it without having to be told? As a last note, I think it is pretty cool that, when Christ is questioned about who He says He is, He answers with the phrase: “I AM.” In other words, His state of being.
Then there is the importance of making something a priority over making it an option. I never thought about it before, but making something an option does open the door for it to go away. When I was in the Marines we had platoon PT (Physical Training) every morning at 6 AM, and it was not optional, but because it wasn’t optional I did it every day. When I got out, it was no longer mandatory, and hitting the snooze button didn’t have immediate consequences or repercussions. Eventually running in the morning just didn’t become all that important to me. I think there are a lot of things in life we approach as being optional that we shouldn’t. If you believe going to Church is optional and not necessary you will probably stop or just not go. If you believe dieting, working out, daily Bible reading, and prayer are optional, chances are, you probably aren’t doing them. I think what is scarier for me are the things people would say are not optional, but they treat them as if they are. I don’t think many people would say fidelity in marriage is something they would be willing to compromise on, but then they put themselves in situations where they are tempted by someone who isn’t their spouse. I don’t think people go out for a job with the intention of taking advantage of the employer’s time and assets, but people do it all the time. I think it’s important to work on the things we aren’t willing to corrupt our integrity over, and put safeguards in place before we make those things optional.
These are just some things I’ve been thinking about lately because I need to make some changes in my life. Some things I’m doing well and some things I need to do better on, but I’m thankful I have a God who loves me. Even though, at times, my pace towards Him looks like more like a walk than a race, as long as I’m running toward Him, I know He is running towards me. Let’s make the priorities the priorities.
Bonus Entry:
A while back in a small group discussion we were talking about Daniel, and the topic of discussion for whatever reason was on whether or not Daniel was a eunuch. I had always held to the assumption he was because he was under the authority of the master of the eunuchs (some translations), and because whenever they tried to find a fault w/ him they never sent a women, like w/ Samson. Then I ran across the scriptures of 2 Kings 20:18 and Isaiah 39:7 that specifically say some of the descendants of Israel would be taken into the palace in Babylon to serve as eunuchs. I was telling a friend about my logic on why I thought he was a eunuch before I noticed those scriptures. They never sent a woman to find a fault in him or tempt him, and he replied, “That makes perfect sense, because a woman can always find a fault in a man.” It was a good laugh for 630 AM.
JPH
Posts
