There are so many verses in the Bible that refer to the life of a Christ follower as a "race". Here are just a few of them: (Acts 20:24, 1 Cor. 9:24, 2 Timothy 4:7, Hebrews 12:1) Though I have studied all of these verses in the past, they really came alive for me the first time I ran an actual race, a 5K on September 24, 2011.
Here are the life lessons I took away about getting ready to run:
*Dream bigger than your current ability. When I decided to run the 5K, I could only run a mile.
*Even if you're unsure, set goals, show up, and do your best. I wasn't sure I would be ready by September. I mean, I just got off the couch, ya know?? But I set a goal, and I worked toward it, and if I wasn't ready by race day, I still would have made great progress. And there's always the next race!
*Quitting is easy when you're accountable to no one. So many mornings, I wanted to sleep in instead of getting up at 4:30. But the thought of disappointing my running partners (I'm married to one of them!) kept me showing up, even on the most difficult days. I borrowed their strength when I didn't have enough of my own.
*Make sure your preparation matches your race. I learned this one the hard way! We trained at 5:00am (when it's cool and dark), on a figure 8 shaped track that was smooth and flat. The actual race was held at 8:00am (about 82 degrees at race time), on roads through a neighborhood, with LOTS of hills. If your race is hard...train hard.
*Before you start, decide you're going to finish. At several points during the race, I felt like quitting. But I had already decided how I would respond when that happened. I. Will. Not. Quit. I told myself I would cross the finish line, even if I was walking, not running.
Making decisions in advance will serve you well in your Christian life. I don't need to decide if I will read my Bible in the mornings, or if I will go to church on Sunday. I've already decided some things!
Join me here tomorrow on Chick Food for Lessons from the Run - Endure!
Today's Verse: You've all been to the stadium and seen the athletes race. Everyone runs; one wins. Run to win. All good athletes train hard. They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades. You're after one that's gold eternally. 1 Cor 9:24-25 Message
Prayer for Today: Father, help me to train hard for the "race" of my life. Help me to throw off the sin that slows me down, and stay focused on running in a way that brings glory to You. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Today's Verse: You've all been to the stadium and seen the athletes race. Everyone runs; one wins. Run to win. All good athletes train hard. They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades. You're after one that's gold eternally. 1 Cor 9:24-25 Message
Prayer for Today: Father, help me to train hard for the "race" of my life. Help me to throw off the sin that slows me down, and stay focused on running in a way that brings glory to You. In Jesus' name, Amen.
3 comments:
So true! I love the "if your race is hard, train hard." That was a word for me because how can I expect to do what God has called me to do if I don't "train" for it. I need to do this by means of studying the word more and praying more. It helps me to be prepared for whatever obstacles I may come across on my race. Love it, keep em coming!
Great analogies! I mean it is all true in the literal sense but also every bit applicable to our Christian walk.
@Hollie-that was the biggest learning for me, too! We can't go easy in our training for our faith-race, or we won't be ready for the challenges certain to come our way!
@Anna- I know, right?! The day of the race, I came home and wrote down 12 life lessons I learned as I thought about the race. I love how God keeps His instructions for us so simple, using illustrations from seasons, gardening, running, etc. to teach us kingdom principles!
Thanks for reading, ladies!
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