Posted By Phylicia on July 30, 2009

I just got back from running with my sisters.  I didn’t want to go.  In fact, I waffled about it for five minutes before finally giving in because they pleaded the “you’re leaving for college” case.  And now I regret it!  It’s a routine they have been doing for a few weeks already, so they are way ahead of me in ability at cross-country running.  I am a sprinter (or at least I like to use that as an excuse) so by the time I got home my lungs burned, my ears were ringing, my back was shot and my second wind was, as my sister said, “left on the trail last Tuesday”.

The real reason I was so weak compared to my sisters is that I have always run on a treadmill.  My goal has been to do only the minimum workout to increase my heartrate and burn calories.  So running on uneven terrain for long distances brings out my worst in ability and temperament.

I thought I was doing pretty well on that treadmill, actually; I was doing the ‘Champion Course’ program, a title which made me feel rather accomplished.  I had my music pumping me up and keeping me going, and the nice conveyor belt pulled my feet along even when my legs couldn’t take another step.  The funny thing is, real ground doesn’t move.  Real terrain isn’t flat and hard like the conveyor, it’s bumpy and soft.  I have been running in a sheltered environment, and when I have to face reality, I’m too weak to tough it out.

I was reading in Philippians again today (It’s been a while!) and I found an interesting corrollation between my physical weakness and the spiritual exercise I have yet to face each day:

“Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.  Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own.  But one thing I do:  forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.  Let those of us who are mature think this way…”  (Phil. 3:12-15)

Life is ultimately about pressing on.  If there’s anything at all that I have learned in my extensive nineteen years, it is that sitting around is comfortable for a few moments, but the getting up, the moving forward, the running when it hurts is what makes life beautiful overall.  It’s looking back and seeing how far you came because you pushed past the pain.  I call it “You’re In the Army Now”.  Sometimes I even say that to myself when I feel like giving in.  And it’s true:  we’re in the service… of our Lord.

And our Lord knows the road we run.  Walking from Nazareth to Jerusalem and back, as well as travelling over the rest of Israel, probably isn’t the equivalent of your evening stroll.  Our God walked it in sandals.  Dispersing food to a crowd of five thousand isn’t a church potluck.  Our God fed them within the lunch hour.  And climbing the hill to Golgotha with a beam on one’s back is more than any of us could take.  Our God climbed it after 39 lashes.

Because He knows the road He can help us run it.  He provides the strength necessary to achieve victory.  Paul didn’t just say he was ‘pressing on’ but that he was pressing on to make it his own.  If he chose the easy way continually he wouldn’t be able to reach the prize.  If we train on the treadmill of spirituality we will fail in the race of reality.

What does this mean?  This means you and I can’t read the Bible in the morning and expect a magical transformation.  We can’t even pray and expect God to work wonders on us throughout the day!  It will take the daily submission of our will  to keep us running in the right direction with all the strength God gives.  The treadmill approach settles for the minimum.  The training mentality settles for nothing.

Categories: Philippians
Tags: cross country, exercise, God, running, treadmill, women