Runner's Mentality

I’ve been a runner for just about a year now. I’ve discovered how much I enjoy it and the shared bond developed with fellow runners. We talk about split times, running courses, injuries, personal records, and nutrition. It’s also been neat to see how many people are runners when I had no idea beforehand.

I had someone ask me this past week if I ran with someone else in our church. This other runner is at an entirely different level than I am and runs much (much) faster. I laughed when I responded and shared this rationale: trying to run together would only discourage me and frustrate him. I can’t begin to keep up with his pace and he doesn’t want to run at mine.

The powerful thing about running however is that we can still share in the joy of it even though we are in different places. Our community is based on our common affiliation and not in having matching ability levels. The same could be said about our spiritual journey as well. We don’t have to be at the exact same point of maturity to be able to share with each other and provide encouragement. Our common bond is in the path we are pursuing even if we are moving at different speeds.

Focusing Thought

Christ be with me.

Christ be before me,

Christ be behind me,

Christ be inside me,

Christ be beneath me, 

Christ be above me,

Christ on my right hand,

Christ on my left hand,

Christ when I lie down,

Christ when I sit down,

Christ when I rise up,

Christ all around me.

Christ in the heart of everyone who beholds me, 

Christ in every eye that sees me,

And Christ in every ear that hears me.

Gifted

The Gift and the One who gave the Gift are the same. You cannot have one without the other. The Gift and the Gift-giver are a package deal. 

Limitless Life, Derwin Gray

You can't expect to receive all that God has to offer without accepting Him as well. We might see portions of forgiveness, grace, mercy, and purpose without having a relationship with Him. We won't ever fully experience the beauty and power of what God offers if we won't commit to following Him though. It won't be a personal journey then, but merely a secondary spirituality that only comes into contact with the purity of God through other people. That's not the depth of commitment that interests God and it's less than appealing to us. All of God's gifts are illusions without Him at the center of them. 

Fulfillment and contentment are found in all of who God is.

Take a Step

I read a tweet this morning from Relevant Magazine that said, "You don't have to decide what you are going to do for the next 20 years. You just have to decide what you are going to do next." It isn't a revolutionary thought, but can actually be helpful for our personal development. We can sometimes become so easily overwhelmed with the work associated with change that we give up before we even start. It can be helpful to simply think about the next step you can take & then take action. It reflects a goal that is probably not attainable in a 24 hour period, but to be reached must begin today. 

Into the Woods

When my wife and I were dating in college we decided to drive to Kentucky from Nashville and take a tour of Mammoth Cave. With a great lack of planning on our part we arrived before lunch to find out that the tours were sold out for the day. Not wanting to simply turn around and drive back we decided to walk around the park for a bit.

It wasn't long after starting our hike that we decided to check out a small path leading deeper into the woods. Naturally this led to a multiple hour adventure of trying to find our way back to our vehicle and hoping that we weren't stuck in the woods of Kentucky without a hope of rescue. After several hours we had circled back around (not knowing it) and were able to see where our car was parked and go home.

This past weekend I heard about someone who described their spiritual life as being lost in the woods. You are unsure of which direction you are going in, you are starting to get hot, thirsty and tired, and you wonder if you will ever find the right path again. It can be a frustrating and lengthy journey and sometimes you wonder if it's worth fighting to find your way again.

The church (not an organization, but God's people) are supposed to be a help for those lost in the woods. We're supposed to send out rescue parties and find ways to help people find the right path. This isn't done out of superiority, but simply as people who have managed to find their way out of the woods at one time and are passionate about helping others do the same.