UPHILL AND INTO THE WIND!

UPHILL AND INTO THE WIND!

“For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,” [2 Cor. 4:17]

If you’re like me, you don’t have the flattest terrain on which to run. If you do run on level ground I can assure you there are many of us who are at least a little envious. Without hills the running is so much easier; so much more predictable. And while there is a downhill for every uphill, it has been proven scientifically and experientially that the down-side of the hill never gives back all that the up-side took.

The same can be said of the wind. The difference the wind makes when it is blowing into you is nothing less than amazing…and disheartening! It slows you. It strains you. It actually discourages you. And so often it seems that the wind is in my face the entire run regardless of the direction I am running. It is so much easier to have it at your back. And when the two are combined, running uphill and into the wind, the run can be very tough.

But here’s the part of the story that’s so easy to miss in all the huffing, puffing, and sweating: running uphill makes you a better runner and better prepares you for the next hill! There will be hills on the course. At the 7th mile of my first half-marathon there was a 1¼ mile stretch that was a 7% grade uphill. While competitors were dropping like flies I never missed a step. The reason was simple: I was accustomed to running hills!

It would be nice if life was always downhill and with the wind at our back, but we know that simply isn’t possible. There will be hills and strong headwinds and, at times, it will seem that the universe is conspiring to combine the two simply for the purpose of making our run tough. But it is during those times that we are actually being made stronger.

Occasionally we have to deal with setbacks and disappointments in the course of life. Health issues, family troubles, job concerns, and the like are the uphills of life and none of us wish for them, but God tells us that they are actually making us stronger (2 Cor. 4:17). He also says that they are temporary (2 Cor. 4:18) and that we can look forward to one day coasting on the downhill. So remember, when the going is tough just keep running, taking comfort in the fact that you’re becoming stronger and that the tough times won’t last!

Gotta run!

How Do You Eat an Elephant?

HOW DO YOU EAT AN ELEPHANT?
“I press on toward the goal…” [Phi. 3:14]

As the old saying goes, one bite at a time! Our goals must be big; they must be ambitious because no other kind motivates. So make goals big…but not so big that achieving them seems impossible. So how can we have large goals without becoming discouraged? The key: divide the journey to your goal into achievable steps. Eat the elephant one bite at a time.

While running the 2008 Akron (OH) Marathon I learned the need to divide big goals into small bites. I distinctly remember thinking to myself, after completing mile 5, “OK, 5 down, only 21 to go…21! I’m already tired and sweating profusely and I still have 21 miles to go?!” Bad self-psychology! Later in the race my mind said to myself, “Great job, 16 down and only 10.2 to go.” To which myself replied, “What!? Are you crazy? Who in their right mind runs 10 miles after 16?!”

I’ve learned my lesson, so in my next marathon (2009 Kentucky Derby) I will be running only 4, 6 mile laps followed by 2.2 mile. That’s all. Doesn’t my mind know better, you ask. Well, it does and it doesn’t. The key is to break the goal down into manageable steps and then take them one at a time. "It is amazing how much you can progress week after week, month after month, year after year if you allow for gradual training increases." [Bob Glover, The Runners Handbook]

The same holds true in the “races” of life. We have those moral issues, bad habits, and destructive vices that we’d like to eliminate, but the job just seems too big. And there are those virtues that we’d like to see in our life but it just seems impossible. Looking at the entire “elephant” it is; but break it down into bites and you can do it!

I once counseled someone struggling with addiction with this advice, “You don’t have to stay clean the rest of your life, just today!” It is precisely that mindset that will help us achieve any goal. You don’t have to control that emotion, destroy that vice, or eliminate that problem for the rest of your life, just for today. You cannot adopt much-needed virtues for the remainder of your years, but you can add them today!

Break that elephant down and keep chewing!

Gotta run!

Running Lesson #11

Permanent vs. Temporary

“I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call…” [Phi. 3:14]

It’s that time of year again when you find out how badly you want to run. Chilly temps, wind-chill factors, and icy spots all remind you ever so rudely that it is winter and you are outside! While being outside beats the treadmill any day no matter the weather, it does have a way of making you sort out your priorities. There’s an adage that says, “There is no such thing as bad weather, only weak people.” I don’t know if that is true but I do know that conditions will force you to decide how permanent your goals are.

I run when it’s time to run and not when all the conditions are just right; the only exception being dangerously hot weather. (My entire plan will be put to the test while I’m in Montreal the last week of January!:-)) After many hours of running in less than ideal conditions, I have concluded this: the nature of my action is determined by the nature of my goal. If my goals are permanent then my actions are too; if my goals are fleeting my actions will be as well.

For example, if I am suddenly inspired one beautiful spring day to get out and enjoy the beauty of our Creator, as many are, I will do so. And while that is a worthwhile goal, it won’t get me out the door on a nasty January morning when His handiwork isn’t as obvious. My goal was temporary (perfect days don’t last) and so was my action.

On the other hand, if my goal is a spring marathon I will head out the door regardless the current weather because my objective is still ahead of me. I have short term goals (races) and a singular long term goal guiding what I do (good health). Because my goals are not affected by weather, neither are my actions. The conditions are temporary but my goals are not.

Now, let’s make this practical for the Christian race. If we forget our permanent goal, we’re going to make some bad choices that are based on temporary circumstances. Pleasure, popularity, and possessions do not last, yet how many times do we short circuit our long term goal by placing priority on these very temporary actions? With temporary goals, temporary actions work; but if our goal is enduring we’ll have to think long term. Why did Paul “press on”? Because of his goal to have “the prize”. We too will win the race if we do the same. Think about it and press on!

Gotta run!

Running lesson #10

DROP THE PRETENSE!
“…encourage the fainthearted, support the weak....” 1 Thess. 5:14

One of the things I like most about the race crowd is there is no pretense. Oh sure, there’s the occasional “strutter” who is better in his mind than he is on the road, but basically everyone owns up to who he is. At the water station folks do not act like they aren’t thirsty and no one is too cool to appreciate the cheering of the spectators. It is all very real. After all, if anyone understands it is your fellow runner.

And races are not always pretty. The gals don’t wear makeup and the guys don’t wear cologne (please don’t!) – this is a race after all! Sweating bodies, running noses, and various aromas reflect that the race, while often enjoyable, is sometimes a difficult proposition. Everyone struggles so no one acts as if they do not.

Life can be a struggle too, only we try to fake it in life. We put on a face like nothing is wrong and that we have it all together even when we know that we do not. Or, we need assistance and encouragement but we’re too proud to let on, so we just limp along in pain. We all struggle at times and we all crave encouragement, so why do we act like we do not, especially in the church?

Marshall Hayden wrote an article a few years ago entitled, "Would Every Non-Hurter Please Stand Up?" He pointed out that people come to church wearing their best clothes & their best smiles. Everybody looks happy, so we assume everything is okay. But he suggests that we need to look beyond the facade & realize that the pews are full of hurting people.

He wrote, "Over here is a family with an income of $550 a week and an outgo of $1,000. Over there is a family with two children who, according to their dad, are "failures." "You’re stupid. You never do anything right," he is constantly telling them. The lady over there just found a tumor that tested positive. The Smith’s little girl has a hole in her heart.

"Sam & Louise just had a nasty fight. Each is thinking of divorce. Last Monday Jim learned that he was being laid off. Sarah has tried her best to cover the bruises her drunken husband inflicted when he came home Friday night. That teen over there feels like he is on the rack, pulled in both directions. Parents & church pull one way, peers & glands pull the other.

"Then there are those of us with lesser hurts, but they don’t seem so small to us: an unresponsive spouse, a boring job, a poor grade, a friend or parent who is unresponsive ...on & on the stories go. The lonely, the dying, the discouraged, the exhausted, they’re all here."

Just like a long race, life can be tiring and messy. Without becoming chronic complainers we need to be more open with each other. Hayden suggests we should “look beyond the facade” and we should, but how much better would it be if there were no facades in the first place. If you’re running weak get strength. If you have a sin problem get help. If you are discouraged seek encouragement. We’re all in this race together so let’s drop the pretense because if anyone understands, it’s your fellow runner!

Gotta run!

Running Lesson #9

DON’T QUIT TOO SOON!
“…let us run with endurance the race that is set before us…” [Heb. 12:1]

Tomorrow (9/26/08) I head up I-77 through the beautiful Ohio farm land to run in the annual Akron Marathon on Saturday. This is not a last minute decision – anything but! I have been training for months and the event has been on my calendar even longer. There is no way I’m going to back out now.

> I have too much invested! There are many hours on my stopwatch and many miles (about 400) on my shoes. I will not throw that away!
> I am looking forward to the company! I love race day and the race crowd because we have so much in common. I’m looking forward to meeting new people and hearing new stories.
> I want to cross the finish line! I have often envisioned what it is going to be like to cross the finish line, especially during difficult runs. There were times that thought alone kept me going. Now I’ll finally get my chance to experience it.

As you would imagine, I’m not going to quit now! If I was ever going to give up on this goal it would have been months ago. In fact, I have discovered that people are more likely to quit early than late. I wouldn’t have thought it before, but early on I discovered that the urge to stop was greater after just a mile than it was after 5 miles. But after a little while you catch your stride and get in the groove and you want to finish well.

I have observed the same thing in new Christians. The same reasons I won’t give up on the race now are the same reasons long-time Christians rarely quit at the end. But new Christians are often different. They start out good: energized and running well. It’s great to be a Christian! But after a while the new wears off or they run into some obstacle and they want to stop. What they don’t know is that if they just keep running they’ll catch their stride and then they won’t want to quit.

The lesson, especially for new Christians, is simple: just keep running. You’ll be glad you did! (Rev. 2:10)

Gotta run!

Running Lesson #8

I’m Willing to Look Like a Fool to a Achieve My Goal!

“Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness…”
Matt. 5:10

I previously did not know that about myself but it’s true. Please understand: I don’t want to look like an idiot any more than anyone else does, but it seems that when I’ve set my heart on achieving a particular goal, any desire to preserve dignity is overcome by the determination to reach the objective. Boy have gotten some looks and heard some comments!

One afternoon, shortly after beginning a run through town, it started to rain. Within seconds it was an absolute downpour. Well, I couldn’t get any wetter so I just kept running. That day I ran 6 miles in a monsoon so strong that it affected my visibility more than anything else. It just so happened that our secretary drove by at some point and later admitted that she thought, “What idiot would be out here running in this!” before realizing who it was. (Then she was sure it was an idiot!)

I have run in other less-than-ideal conditions where the looks on the faces of passing motorists have told the entire story. When people see you running in extreme cold or blowing snow or high heat they just don’t get it. While running in rural Tanzania (where there is apparently no social stigma against staring) the locals staring at me seem to be thinking, “who is this white man and what is he running from!” But the looks didn’t matter but I had to keep my training on target to reaching my goal.

And it happened again this week. It wasn’t raining when I started the run, but before it was over it was hard to tell which was worse: the wind or the rain. Then to my surprise, a thoughtful young woman turned around, pulled up beside me, and said, “Is there somewhere I can take you?” I said, “No thank you, I’m just running.” She said, “Are you sure?” You’ve seen the look: a crinkled nose and eyes that say “you gotta be kidding!” I reassured her, thanked her for her consideration, and took off again.

The lesson is this: when your goal is consuming you don’t care what others think! Sometimes we make the wrong choices in life because we’re afraid of what others may think. The teenager participates in an ungodly activity because she doesn’t want anyone to laugh at her for saying “no”. The businessman undertakes questionable practices to fit in with the crowd. We do something we should not or do not do something that we should do because we are overly concerned with the opinion of others.

The reality is that if we are not of this world we will never really be fully accepted by the world. The prophets, apostles, and Jesus were so despised by the world that they were persecuted. Their response? They kept doing right because they had a goal that was out of this world! Wanting to fit in and be accepted is a universal desire, but if it is causing us to make wrong decisions then we need to reassess our goals in life and eternity. When Heaven is our goal what others think doesn’t matter so much!

Gotta run!

Running Lesson #7

MY NEW RUNNING PARTNER

“A friend loves at all times…” Prov. 17:17

Having now logged 3 runs with my new running partner it is officially confirmed: I really like him! I don’t want to knock my old running partner, but he had become frustrating and disappointing. On cold mornings he would quit long before I did (wimp!), on long runs it wasn’t uncommon for him to stop before we were finished, and he had become increasingly stubborn. And no, I’m not worried that he’ll read this and be offended.

You see, my old running partner (and my new one) is an MP3 player. Busy, conflicting schedules and differing paces make running with a friend an unusual treat, so it’s usually just me, my music, and my thoughts. It’s not a bad second option, in fact I like the solitude and I like the music. But the frustration with my formerly-trusty running partner has reminded me of the qualities of true friendship.

A good friend is dependable! Not knowing if my old running partner was going to “show up” or if it would finish, left me with unfriendly feelings. Those really cold mornings, when I needed it the most, were when it most often left on my own. But a good friend is always there for you.

A good friend is trustworthy! The old player would often show “full battery” at the beginning of the run and it really was but other times it would be dead within 30 minutes. No matter what he said I could never believe him! It’s the same with a friend – if you’re not sure you can trust them then there’s nothing there and no reason to continue the charade. It’s no wonder honesty is the foundation of any relationship.

A good friend is available! One particularly cold February morning I thought, “I’m really glad I have the music today – I really need it” and within three minutes the old partner decided it was too cold for him! What good is a player that doesn’t play and what’s the point of having a friend who isn’t there for you? Prov. 18:24

A good friend encourages you! Studies have proven the motivational benefits of music during exercise. But I don’t need a study to prove it – I experience it several times a week! And that’s what a good friend does. He motivates me when I need motivation. And he doesn’t just blow smoke, because sometimes I need to hear what I don’t want to hear.

Yes, I definitely like my new running partner. So far he is dependable, trustworthy, available, and is a constant encourager. Sounds like the kind of friend I want. Sounds like the kind of friend I want to be.

Gotta run!