Lessons From a Race: Part 4: And Having Run The Good Race...

Well, here's the final bit of wisdom I've been able to glean from running a race... True, I ran almost a full month ago, but I am still applying the lessons I learned from that bitterly cold morning.

So to finish, what exactly happens? Seriously, what happens when you finish?

If you are like me, finishing is the hard thing. Starting is easy. My room is full of things I started, and still haven't finished. I have model airplanes, LEGO projects, paintings, books I'm trying to write, random letters I still need to respond too, poems that just need that sixth line, and yes, a pile of clothes that need to be folded. Maybe I'm just highly distractable, or maybe I just don't have the vision to finish something.

So what does it mean to finish something? Or more importantly, when you are running, why is the finish so important? Well, for some people, they don't even think about finishing. They give up before they even come within sight of the finish line. Others come so close, only to collapse just a few steps from the finish line. Just how do some people not just cross the finish line, but do it running??

I would submit to you that most of this strength is in the mind. We are told to run the good race, to fight the good fight, to continue on until the end. In fact, in 1 Corinthians, Paul tells us that "in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize." He then exhorts us to "run in such a way as to get the prize." I don't know about you, but this sounds pretty rigorous! He's telling us that we're to try for first place?

My first thought as I went over that verse was "WHAT?? I'm supposed to try and beat the people who do this for a living? How am I, a mere mortal, with limited resources, supposed to beat someone who trains with professionals, has sponsors, and lives their life to run?" But then I started thinking. We are also commanded to be above reproach. This means that nobody should be able to even hint that we've done something out-of-line. So when it comes to running, we ARE supposed to try and challenge those people who run for a living! We are supposed to try for first place, no matter what! We are to do everything as unto God. That's not some things, or faith-based things, but EVERYTHING!

So here's a little confession. Right now is finals time. I've had three finals so far, and I have another two that got postponed to tomorrow because of inclement weather. And as I was thinking about what final grades I am expecting from these five classes, I thought to myself: "Did I really study as much as I should have for all of those homeworks? Did I really do every single quiz has if I was doing it unto the Lord? Did I give every single test and exam my all? Was I completely and utterly exhausted at the end because I had spent everything trying for that ever-elusive A?"

Sadly, I realized I could have tried much harder. Several of my friends without realizing it, showed me just how wrong my attitude was. Some of them, even non-Christians, just refused to accept anything less than a perfect grade! They weren't happy with just an A, they couldn't settle for a 99, they had to try for that perfect 100%. As I walked out of my third final, I thought to myself, "Now why don't I think that way? Why am I not striving for that perfect score, as unto the Lord?"

So my exhortation to all of you out there is to finish strong. When the finish lines looms in the distance, don't cower and shrink from that last challenge. Instead, sprint! Run towards it with joy and the expectation of reaching the end! Don't compare yourself to those around you. Instead, think of what the total potential is, and aim for that. Rather than just a percentile score, try for perfection. You've run a full race, you've made it thus far, and by God's grace, you are still alive today, so finish with a burst! Take everything you've got, and lay it all out!

"And having done all, to stand."

~unclejoe

Lessons From a Race: Part 3: To Infinity, and BEYOND!

Have you stopped to think?

Seriously.

How often do you stop to think? Not just about your job, or your house, or your friends, but about your life? Do you spend hours thinking about where you are going to be in 10 years?

Today's focus is on big picture thinking. But with a racing application. So imagine you are running a race. Let's say a 10k one, just because that is what I have a small amount of experience doing... When you are running that first kilometer, you could very well get to the marker, and give up right there. You could spend all your energy sprinting for a couple minutes, and then not have any energy for the rest of the race.

The problem? You didn't have (I didn't have) big picture thinking. This is thinking big. And for some people, this means they think about their friend's friends. For me, big picture means thinking about how something I will be doing affects me 20 years from now, or how something will affect the state, or the country over the next five or ten years. In a race, it isn't thinking about the next step, the next few steps, or even the next mile. It's thinking about the finish line, about the next race, about what's beyond the finish line. And even bigger, it's thinking about the race of life. Thinking about the finish line of life, and what lies beyond that.

So often in life, we lose sight of what is really important. We focus on the small things, we get caught up in the day-to-day operations, and forget to think about how we are going to use algebra 30 years from now. We spend so much time stressed out about now, that we forget about what is to come. But even more than just losing sight of the application, we lose sight of what is real. We are caught up in life, but we forget to live.

Finally, in my very humble opinion, I think we, as a culture, lose sight of who we want to be. We are told to fit inside the box, to have a 9-5 job, a wife, two kids, live in the suburbs, commute to work every day; a typical nuclear family. So many people forget their dreams. They forget that they wanted to go to space, or climb Mt. Everest, or go spelunking, or go skydiving. People forget what it was like to actually live their lives, and let their lives live them, if that makes sense.

We are told to do everything as unto the Lord. I don't know about you, but not living my life to the max doesn't sound very God-honoring. Seems like we're just taking the talents and gifts He's given to us, and just throwing them away. So my exhortation to you is to dream! It doesn't matter how crazy or stupid it might seem, just dream! Think of something you've always wanted to do, and do it! Better yet, think of what you want to do with your life, and do it! There is NO rule that says you have to have a boring job, or you have to stay in one place, or that you have to do anything! It's your life, so reach for those stars you've always dreamed about!

One last thought: The only limitation you have is in your head. You can go as far as you want. If you really have a dream, then start thinking about what it takes to reach that dream. Sometimes it helps to reverse-engineer something like this. Start at the dream, and think what will need to be accomplished right before that, and then right before those items, and so on, until you arrive at where you are. Lay it all out. Some dreams only take a little bit to accomplish. Some take longer. Some, could take you your entire life. Some you may never accomplish. But it's not so much reaching them, it's the journey you take to get to that point! It's life!

So go! Live your life! Go tether your feet to a rope, and jump off a bridge! Go randomly jump out of an airplane! Get a job you look forward too, and really enjoy! Drive across the country! Live your life the way God wanted you too!

Lessons from a Race: Part 2: Perseverance: You CAN Do It!

So most of the aches and pains have gone away. But while the physical pains have gone away, the lessons to be learned from a race still remain.

Today's topic is perseverance. With the same verse as before, Hebrews 12, we again look at something specific Paul commanded us to do. He tells us to put aside "every weight." Let me draw your attention to the word every. What does this mean? I would say it means to put EVERYTHING in God's hands. Not just some things, or most things, but ALL things.

So in a race, one of the biggest things people complain about is that they "can't do it." Some people don't think they have the strength, some people don't think they have the patience, and some people are just plain scared of the idea of running a race. And I'll admit, when I first thought about it, the idea of running 10 kilometers, timed, with a bunch of my siblings running at the same time scared me. I honestly thought too myself: "10 kilometers? 6 whole miles? There isn't any way I'm doing that for fun!"

But then I thought about Paul. He wrote so many times about how the Christian faith was similar to running a race. So I thought I'd give it a try. It was while I was running that I was able to realize just how much can be learned, and how the lesson of perseverance can be applied.

Until you have run a longer race (that you can't sprint) you don't really understand the whole theory of perseverance. There is this thing called "the wall." This is where a runner is physically, mentally and emotionally ready to give up. They've gone as far as they can get, and they simply don't think they can take another step. So what happens?

The large majority of people will just stop. They hit the wall, and collapse, sometimes within sight of the finish line. Can you imagine what that would be like? To be within sight of the finish line, and then to give up? What if it was life? You go through life, really trying to serve God, and do His will, until the last month? And then you die? Can you imagine how horrible that would be?

The lesson for today is to keep going. Don't give up. For a little history intermission, we can travel back to World War II. Not many people realize it, but England was on the brink of defeat. They had lost almost all their equipment earlier after they evacuated Dunkirk, and the morale of all the troops was rapidly declining. Germany was outperforming them with machinery, airpower, manpower, and strategy. On top of that, they had designed the V-2, a rocket that required very little to do a great deal of damage.

The only thing that kept the English going was their high morale. Their perseverance. Just about any other nation would have caved under such attacks, and in fact, many of them did. But it wasn't until Hitler met Winston Churchill, the stubborn man who led England through it's darkest hour. But it was his determination, his willpower, and his strength that got England through. He simply wouldn't give up. Ever. There were times when he literally didn't have any options. All his planes were gone, London was ablaze, the hospitals were full, and more bombers were coming. Through it all, he was remembered for one thing:

"Never, never, never, never give in!"

This is what perseverance is. When everything around you is falling. Everyone has failed, and you are the last stand. And it's when you have failed, and you have been driven to your knees, that's when He can shine through you. When we are weakest, He is the strongest.

So today's post isn't so much about physical or emotional strength. It's more a mental thing. You have to go all the way, give it all up, and keep going. We are told that we can do ALL things through Christ. Again, that's not some things, or most things, that is ALL things! We just have to accept it, and have the perseverance to run the race, even if it means Him carrying us across the finish line.

I'm sorry if this seems a little vague and rambling, but I've just finished a most exhausting day of school. And believe me, it wasn't by any physical strength of my own that I made it through. It was completely by God's grace, and His unmerited favor and blessing that I was able to complete everything that was required of me. But in order to do that, I had to reach the wall. I came to a point where I just stopped, and He took over.

So it isn't so much about your fight, it's more just persevering through Christ. To never cease to trust Him. To never reach that wall where you just drop your faith. That is my prayer for all of you, and for me. That we would never lose sight of what is most important, especially when we are facing diverse trials.

Until next time, you can rest in the assurance that if you give your problems to Christ, He WILL take care of ALL of them! How awesome is that?

~unclejoe

Lessons from a Race: Part 1: on your mark... get set.... GO!

Running.

So many people talk about it, some people try it, and even fewer people can actually do it correctly. Whole sports are dedicated to running, or a form of it, people obsess over it, and it has been used for so many different analogies... But how many people actually know about it?

Perhaps the greatest analogy we have is in some of Paul's letters in the New Testament. In his letter to the Hebrews, he talks about setting aside everything, and running the race which is before us. But perhaps the most important part about this verse is the word "patience."

I really understood exactly what Paul was talking about, and I gained some new insight into this verse. On Thursday, I decided to run a 10k, with a couple of my siblings. And if there was one thing I learned, it was patience. My instinct was to spurt ahead, pass everyone, and just run! And at first, that is exactly what I did. But then I remembered the other 9 kilometers. So I had to slow down, I had to pace myself, I had to have patience.

The importance of this can't be underestimated. Perhaps the biggest part of running or participating in anything is getting the timing correct. In your car, if the timing is off, your car either runs really horribly, or not at all. If your watch is messed up, then your whole day could be ruined.

I guess the root of what I am trying to communicate is timing. As an extension of patience, which is more waiting for the right time, I would say it also has to do with doing things when you are supposed too, and not waiting beyond that.

But what is so important about it? Why is timing such a big issue?

To understand this, there is a certain engineering principle that can be applied. It is called the Critical Path. The basic idea is you assign times to every task that is in the path until you reach your goal. You lay everything out, and the Critical Path is all the items that take the longest time, in their chronological order. Because those are important, you do everything you can to get them done on time, because if you take a week longer on the first one, then the entire project will finish a week later.

All that to say: Timing is very important. Everyone talks about it, but they don't ever really explain why... We are told to wait for things, or to hurry up, and get something over sooner. There is such emphasis placed on timing, and yet nobody really understands why...

So here's the one thing I would encourage everyone to do. Go run a race. You gain so much insight, and just the feeling of joy you feel when you come around that final turn... You just sprint to the end! You finish with a burst, everyone is cheering, and you just run!! But most of all, you can understand how life is a race. Sometimes we go fast, and sometimes we go slow. There are curves and bumps, but then there's long straight stretches. But it's really the final stretch that makes it all worthwhile. When we near the end of our life here on earth, everyone is gathered around us, and we have millions and billions of people, waiting to welcome us to our new home... Let's just hope we can all finish with a dash across the line!

Oh, and a word of advice, don't plan anything strenuous for the next few days... You'll be very stiff and sore, and won't be able to move very much... :P

....to be continued......

~(a very stiff and sore) unclejoe

The pull of LIFE

Life. When I think of it, I usually think of the game. You go around the board a bunch of times, try to keep your finances balanced, get married, have kids, graduate them, and then die.

Pretty depressing, no? Is that all there is to life? Are we really just going around a board, in the hopes of beating the other guy? Is everything we do just to get ahead of someone sitting across from us?

I would argue we are here for a purpose. I would argue everything we do has a purpose, no matter how small. Some end goal, something we are all striving for. But what is it? Some people say it is reincarnation. For some, it is to better the world. Still others think they will be nothing but dust, and their death will give a new baby life.

Paul, in many of his letters, compared the Christian faith to running a race. We are running the race. It isn't a circular race, but more like a marathon. It has it's ups and downs, twists and turns, roundabouts and yes, a finish line. However, unlike a typical runner, we only get one chance. We only pass over each bit of ground once. We can only affect the world once.

So my question is this: How are you affecting those around you? How are you sharing His light with the world, in a way that would make everyone want to run the race?