After 8 years and 2000 miles run on my personal health journey, I reflected back over what I've learned from "running" that first mile, to my first 5K, half-marathon, and hopefully the Chicago marathon this year.
Here are a few lessons I've learned along the way that are key for running the physical race as well as the spiritual one.
1) Set Goals, but enjoy the run.
I've learned to have goals when leaving out on a run. Sometimes the goal is just to get moving or perhaps a specific mileage, but days I lack a goal I also lack perseverance and quit too quickly.
Commit to goals in your faith life. Not goals to simply try harder, but real measurables.
- I'm going to read the Bible for 5 minutes every day.
- I'm going to make a personal prayer list
- I'm going to talk to 1 person about Jesus this week.
You may not hit your goals, but without goals you'll never know if you're improving.
2) Change your tactics and equipment.
Rafiki was right: "Change is good." (Unless you're making a live action "Lion King" that no one asked for.) I'm constantly changing things to keep my running fresh: switching between music and podcasts for longer runs, trying new trails and paths, or even completely switching shoe brands from what has been historically comfortable to what is actually comfortable today.
God promised Israel a new deliverance through the Messiah who would completely change everything! Some were resistant to the change and missed great blessings as a result. Look for new ways to pray, perhaps prayerwalking through your house or neighborhood. Listen to new preachers online for fresh perspective. Read the Bible out loud to yourself (my new favorite exercise) or listen to the audio features on YouVersion to force your brain to interact with God's Word in a new way!
3) Run with others.
Running is my "me time" and I had been hesitant to share it with others for years. In addition to being kind of a loner, I also was fearful of failing with an audience. Running with others has turned out to be for my benefit! Sometimes I get to encourage a new runner staying alongside them and providing encouragement. Other times I pace with my faster friends like Ethan, Travis, or most of the Fleet Feet lunch runners and find my overall times improving even when I later take a solo run!
Faith, like running, is better in a group. God has created the church for our benefit. We instantly have a group of people to make connections with who can help us run the race of faith. Perhaps your prayer life encourages someone struggling in that area, or someone else's Bible study method could be exactly what you've been looking for. We're all on different places of this faith journey and have much to teach and learn from each other.
One final encouragement from my years of walking with God. When you suddenly see multiple areas of life that you want to address, God's grace allows you to take them one at a time. Take the area that spoke most to you, and prayerfully pursue your opportunity to grow on that point even today!
Running is my "me time" and I had been hesitant to share it with others for years. In addition to being kind of a loner, I also was fearful of failing with an audience. Running with others has turned out to be for my benefit! Sometimes I get to encourage a new runner staying alongside them and providing encouragement. Other times I pace with my faster friends like Ethan, Travis, or most of the Fleet Feet lunch runners and find my overall times improving even when I later take a solo run!
Faith, like running, is better in a group. God has created the church for our benefit. We instantly have a group of people to make connections with who can help us run the race of faith. Perhaps your prayer life encourages someone struggling in that area, or someone else's Bible study method could be exactly what you've been looking for. We're all on different places of this faith journey and have much to teach and learn from each other.
One final encouragement from my years of walking with God. When you suddenly see multiple areas of life that you want to address, God's grace allows you to take them one at a time. Take the area that spoke most to you, and prayerfully pursue your opportunity to grow on that point even today!
