I love running. Shocker I know, but as I lined up at the start line on Sunday, I thought it would be my last official organized run. Wrong. As I started the race I realized this was my race, the race I was meant to run. I had been chosen for the race. I entered through KSBJ by writing how the Lord spoke to me through my runs. Through that I was chosen to run for KSBJ and raise funds for Living Water. From the get go, the first run, the Lord has given me so much insight - some things about my own self, my life, about Scripture, about Living Water. So many thoughts, so many posts that may (or may not) follow.
The one I want to share today is about the run on Sunday, the step by step run that I made. As I lined up at the start line, I didn't think about how fast I was going to run, what time I was going to make it in, I simply thought about finding my pace and staying with it. Whatever I found my self running at come mile 1 was the pace I would keep through the race. It didn't matter to me if it was 8 minutes or 10 minutes. I was pleasantly surprised at the 1 mile mark, and I was able to keep it through the entirety of the race. I took it mile by mile. I didn't look to where the finish line was, only to the next mile marker. It was all the way around a great run - tiring at times, painful at times, enjoyable at times, all the way around great.
As I was running, all I could see were hundreds of runners ahead of me. Some people were passing me, some were falling behind me, but I stayed the pace. You see, the race was mine. I was determined to keep my pace, not the pace of the people ahead of me, not the people that were slowing down, just my pace. Some of those people started ahead of me, most of them were just flat out faster than me, but all of us were headed for the finish line. I was meant to run the race marked out for me, not the race marked out for them. I wasn't meant to run at their pace, but my own. The one I had trained at.
Along the way, there was a mile that I sped up just a bit and a mile where I slowed just a bit. There was a time to stop and be refreshed at the water stations, a time to take encouragement from my coach and a time to encourage those around me: both to those who had grown weary "You're almost there. Don't quit now." and to those who were the front runners that were already past the turn around point - clapping, cheering, being happy for them.
isn't that how it is with the Christian life? Each of us has been given our own race to run (and yes, we are meant to run with others - another post for another time, possibly tomorrow. I have many thoughts on how awesome it is to run as part of a team). Each of us has been given our own gifts, our own place, our own passion (good post on passion here). I need to stop comparing myself to others, their passion, their pace and to run my own race, the race that the Lord has given me being guided daily by Him. You see I am to stay in step with Him - speeding up when He leads, slowing down when He leads, taking time to be refreshed and encouraged, taking the time to be an encourager, but all by His leading at the pace He takes me. I need to be tuned in to Him, knowing Him, spending time with Him, reading, listening and responding.
As I was thinking about this as I ran, a few things kept coming to my mind. The first was Scripture.
I taught on this Scripture years ago and remembered that walk here is a military term. It is literally to walk in a line, proceed in a row, to follow in someone's footsteps. It is to march in file or battle order (precepts austin).
UBS Handbook writes that stoicheo as...
used here can be literally translated “to walk in a straight line” and probably means in this context “to behave properly according to accepted standards.”
The other things running through my mind were songs, one old and one new. The first Step by Step by Rich Mullins is one I have sung for years. I love it. Here is part of it:
Oh God you are my God and I will ever praise you
Oh God you are my God and I will ever praise you
I will seek You in the morning
And I will learn to walk in Your ways
And step by step you'll lead me
And I will follow you all of my days
The other is I Will Follow by Chris Tomlin:
Where you go, I'll go
Where you stay, I'll stay
When you move, I'll move
I will follow...
Where you stay, I'll stay
When you move, I'll move
I will follow...
Oh how I want to run the race marked out before me in step with the Spirit.
$2400!! I'm so excited for you!!! Way to go!!
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