Running

2/25/2013 , , , , 0 Comments

Today, for the first time in a long while, I went for a run.  The weather was chilly (40 degrees), but it was sunny, there wasn't much wind, and once we (I went with another guy) got going, it was perfect.  We probably ran about 4 miles at around an 8 minute/mile pace - I felt really good considering that I haven't really exercised this semester.  In fact, it looks really likely that a few of the guys here at Brute will be running a half-marathon near the end of the semester (May 4th).  I can probably count on one hand the number of times where I've walked that distance in one day, so it should be interesting to say the least.  I don't think I've ever run a third of that distance (without stopping), so it will be really interesting...  At least I'll stay in shape and hopefully have some fun doing it.

Pikes Peak Marathon - yeah, they run up pikes peak...
OK, now onto the point I really wanted to make:  Today for evening prayer was the reading from Paul's first letter to the Corinthians (9:24:25) - "While all the runners in the stadium take part in the race, the award goes to one man.  In that case, run so as to win!  Athletes deny themselves all sorts of things.  They do this to win a crown of leaves that withers, but we a crown that is imperishable."  I thought it was really apropos that the day I started running this reading should pop up, and I thought it applied really well to lent.  We don't sacrifice stuff to show off, or lose weight, or look holy, we sacrifice during this Lenten season to win the race.  To get closer to Christ and to align our lives more closely to his.  

The analogy between this life and running a race is really good.  Sometimes it's cold, sometimes it's hilly, sometimes your thirsty, sometimes you hurt, and sometimes your shoe comes untied.  On the other hand, sometimes the weather is gorgeous, you have somebody to run with, it's not hilly, and you're not in pain.  Regardless of the conditions, though, if you want to win the crown, you have to keep running; you have to get up when you fall, you have to always keep pushing yourself, you have to stay positive, and you sometimes have to deny yourself stuff.  Want to be a good runner?  Don't eat a ton of desserts.  Want to become a saint in heaven?  Don't eat the same desserts for love of God.  

God gives us the ability to super-naturalize just about anything by doing it (or not doing it) for love of Him.  When God became man, the gap between heaven and earth was bridged, and that means that, through the merits of Christ, we can make it there.  But, just because there's a bridge doesn't mean we don't have to walk across it.  Jesus invites us to come to the wedding feast, but he doesn't force us to come.  We have to choose to accept Jesus' invitation to Heaven, and that means that our life, like Christ's, won't always be easy.  The wind is sometimes going to be against us, the hills are sometimes going to be steep, people aren't always going to support us, but we have to keep running.
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