Becoming the Mile

Posted on Jun 30, 2012 by Amy

I HATE going for runs or even walks. Maybe it is the hot Florida weather, maybe it is the stats that show it can hurt your knees, or maybe it is because I have yet to find a sports bra I truly love. All I can say is I hate it. I love the idea of burning calories and I would love to tone up. But I can't stand running. It is not just running that I don't like. Take any journey in life- any "run" in life. We all go through times in our life that seem to produce the same effects as a mile long run in the mid-day heat in Florida. Physically, emotionally, mentally, and even spiritually these times can produce exhaustion, pain, discomfort, fatigue, hopelessness(that the finish line is not close enough), discouragement, and thirst. So what do we do? We focus on the finish line. We make the journey not about the journey itself but about the outcome. Why? Who says that life is all about the outcome? Where does it say in the Bible that the reason the Israelites were called out of Egypt was just so they could have the Promise land? Why is the point of their exodus the Promised land? I submit that it was not. I do not believe that life is all about the "happy endings" because of what God has taught me through running. If we focus on the ending during the run then we may miss out on what God wants to do through us, for us, and in us through the run. Sometimes the running redefines the happy ending. Moses did not even see the Promised land. Deuteronomy 34:7 states that Moses was not -by physical standards- near death, yet he died before reaching the Promised Land. (Now I know God told him earlier in scriptures that he would not see the Promised land for disobedience. But God knew that before He chose Moses. ) What if, for Moses, it was never about the journey? What if God called him because he needed him for the journey- not the Promised land? Try to find joy in the run. Don't run by yourself. In the middle of the run I often think I will die and never make it through. Sometimes it is from the overwhelming heat, aching muscles, or simply my impatience. :) When it comes to our "runs" in life we are never called to run alone. (Matthew 19:26) Whatever journey you are on, call on Jesus to run it with you. By that I mean- take steps to spend time w/ him and include him in your everyday Journey. Call upon his Holy Spirit. Side note- God never promises that if we pursue him during our hard times that they will end. He promises to run them with us. But what I have learned is that these times of running with him have redefined me. I did not fully know who Christ was until I was exhausted, uncomfortable, discouraged and thirsty. I didn't know who I was either. Look at Moses, the journey redefined who He was too. 

- For more from this Author visit Amy's blog.