Well, I ran in the marathon again yesterday.
Notice, I did not say that I ran the marathon. I ran in the marathon. In fact, I ran in it three times -- once with Ross Culbertson, once with Lincoln Goodwin and once with Julie Abrahams as they each passed by mile marker 22 near my house.
And again, God used the moment for spiritual lessons and illustrations. But these were new ones for me since I saw the marathon from a different point of view.I ran with Ross for about a quarter mile at the most. As I was running with him, I was encouraging him and asking him how he was feeling. He was doing great. Then, he asked me how I was doing and told me that I was looking good! Me -- the guy who had only been running for 2 minutes. After about 3 minutes, I wished him well and bowed out of the race.
When Lincoln came along, I jumped back into the race to run with him. I played the role of "encouraging friend" again as we went along for a little over a quarter mile (now that I was warmed up, I could go farther). Like Ross, he gave me feedback on how I was doing in my 4 minute contribution to his 4+ hour journey.
Then came Julie. We had received word from a friend that she was not having a good run, but when she reached our cheering section she was in good spirits. Several of us jumped in to run with her and to do our best to encourage her. We followed her lead -- running when she ran, walking when she walked. Having run a marathon before, I understand how well-intentioned friends may be toward the end of the race when they do their best to get you to pick up the pace. And I know how annoying that can be. With Julie, we just followed her pace.
So what did this illustrate to me? What lessons were learned or reinforced? I'm glad you asked.
(1) We have to prepare to run the race -- even the little ones. If you add it all up, I still ran less than one mile. But come Monday morning (heck, even Sunday night), I was more sore than I had been in years. Muscles that I forgot I had were killing me (in fact, they still are). That's what I get for jumping in and pushing my body beyond what it was ready to do. No stretching. No warming up. No water. A belly full of coffee and coffee cake. Even in little "races" such as my stint in the marathon, we have to be prepared. As we go about our lives and come across the deceptively easy "races" we take on, we have to be ready for what it will take. Are we prayed up? Are we biblically grounded? Are we seeking God's direction? Training comes before the race -- not during the race.
(2) We need to encourage others running the race. Ross and Lincoln had 22 miles under their belt by the time I joined them. Clearly, they had a big goal that day -- one that they had been training for for months. The end was in sight, just 4.2 miles away. But they asked me how I was doing -- the guy who was new to the race, who hadn't trained at all. That's how mature believers need to be with newer ones. We need to take time out to turn our attention toward newer believers -- or believers who are struggling -- and ask about their journeys. Even in the midst of our greatest challenges, we can find ways to encourage those around us.
(3) We need to meet people where they are. That's what we did with Julie. We met her where she was and encouraged her in the progress she was making. She had already covered 22 miles! We were well-rested and ready to go. She was well-worn and ready to go home (her words, not mine). Our task was to come alongside her and show our support -- not to push her beyond her limits or to a pace she wasn't ready to run. That's how it is with other believers, too. Meet them where they are in their relationship with the Lord and walk with them -- or run if they're on fire and hungry for more! Don't slow them down -- and don't push them past what they can handle.
Hmmmm ... maybe I need to train for the 2007 race?
1 comment:
Murr, I love it when you write about stuff like this. Funny, insightful, deep AND you WORK FOR THE CHURCH. What a catch! You're SO one of the most eligible bachelors at HFBC.
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