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!

Running Lesson #6

A PLEASANT AROMA

“…a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God.” - Phil. 4:18

Having a very good sense of smell is not all it’s cracked up to be! Oh, it has its pros but it very definitely comes with a set of cons as well. For whatever reason, my olfactory system is highly charged and incredibly sensitive. I can smell the dead opossum on the side of the road when he’s still alive! It is nice when there is fresh-baked bread in the air or a nice scent in the room, but it can be downright tough at other times.

So you can imagine how I felt on a recent run when I got a snout-full of the scent of moth balls! Here I am, running down the road, inhaling deeply when it hits me like a ton of bricks. I don’t know how you feel about moth balls, but personally I will fold, wrap, and hand deliver my entire wardrobe to the moths before I ever try to repel them with the hideous and insidious smell of those marble-sized menaces. That’s how I feel about the smell of moth balls.

So you can image how I felt when just a few houses down, as I was trying to snort out the previous odor (literally), I got a whiff of someone grilling meat over charcoal! Oh have mercy did it smell good and was it ever a nice surprise! It was all I could do to not drop in and see what was on the menu. I suddenly went from running faster to get away from the stench to slowing down to enjoy the pleasant aroma. What a nice change.

The entire episode reminds me that we all have an “aroma”. As we go through our day and interact with others, they are getting a “whiff” of who we are. Sometimes the experience is pleasant and they like to linger, but other times the odor repels them. You know what I mean because you experience the aroma of other people every day. Some are good and some are bad – but everyone has an “aroma”.

Attitude, disposition, words, actions, body language, and facial expressions are all a part of our aroma. I can’t change all the bad smells out there but I can make sure that I don’t add to them. I’m thankful to the moth ball house for reminding to not “stink” and to the grilling people for reminding me that a pleasant aroma is a welcome delight for someone! What do others think about your “aroma”? Think about it.

Gotta run!

Running lesson #5

STICK TO THE PLAN AND ENJOY THE RESULTS

“I buffet my body and make it my slave…” 1 Cor. 9:27

A recent loss of 10 pounds has revealed veins, abs, and an overall muscle definition that I have never before seen, at least not in my mirror. Before you think this is an exercise in narcissism let me assure you it isn’t. While it is nice to be in the best shape of your life at a time when many of your contemporaries haven’t seen their feet since the first Bush was President; the reality is that when your age begins with a 4 (or more) all signs of progress are more about vitality than vanity.

The improvements were both unintentional and intentional. They were both unexpected and planned. Huh? What I mean is that, while I did not set out to lose weight, I did intentionally set and follow the plan that brought it about. I decided on a fairly rigorous fitness plan that includes lifting weights 3 days per week and running another 3-4 days per week. After sticking to this plan for several months I noticed something happening around my waist. And now if I don’t cinch up my belt to the last hole I may be embarrassed!

The nicest part is that these are just the fringe benefits. The best part is happening on the inside. My endurance is up and my blood pressure is down. My energy has been raised while my pulse has been lowered. The lean muscle mass is up and the body fat percentage is down. All these are signs of good health – the ultimate physical goal. Set a goal, stick to the plan, and enjoy the results.

The same has obvious, and more important, spiritual application. What is our ultimate spiritual goal? Do we have a plan to help attain that goal? Are we willing to stick to it even when it would be easier to quit? Are we giving something to the accomplishment of that goal every day? If we can answer these questions in the right way, then we will also experience the fringe benefits too.

Remember that the best things are happening on the inside. Benefits such as more peace and contentment. A better outlook on life. A heavenly perspective that allows us to see beyond the temporary. The joy of forgiveness – both received and extended. The blessings of living a selfless life. The list goes on and on and I encourage you to make your own list.

The principle is simple Set a goal, stick to the plan, and enjoy the results.
You can do it!

Gotta run!