A runner I am not . . . never have been . . . don’t intend to be. Notice I did not say “never” will be but rather “don’t intend” to be. I’m learning to never say never!
Mid July 2011, in the heat of summer, Ken and I started walking again. We started out walking 2 miles a day, stretching our endurance by adding one mile at a time until we are now walking 5 miles a day. A former co-worker of mine runs marathons and has been nudging me/us to walk Lincoln’s half-marathon in May. Hmmmmm . . . letting that rattle around inside me for now.
In the terrible heat of summer, and now the cool soon-to-be cold, this body of mine tries to talk me out of my 5-mile walk . . . “Think about how FAR that is . . . It’s going to take you 1 ½ HOURS to walk that FAR! . . . It’s so HOT! It’s COLD.”
It takes doggedness to stay focused on the goal of my walking . . . Lamar’s Donuts at 48th & Pioneer! NOT! Besides, Lamar’s is only at the 4 mile mark, which is not the goal! My goal is really not the number of miles but rather a healthier lifestyle, seeing my body shed the surplus pounds!
Hebrews 12:1b-3 . . . “And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish. He was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy He knew would be his afterward . . . Think about all He endured . . . so that you don’t become weary and give up.”
Let's look at some words . . .
Endurance . . . staying power, patience, survival, stamina, fortitude
Fortitude . . . staying power, guts, grit, courage, stamina, determination
Stamina . . . staying power, energy, resistance, resilience, strength, doggedness, grit
Doggedness . . . staying power, perseverance, single-mindedness
So really this verse could read, “And let us run with guts, grit, doggedness, and keep on keeping on in single-mindedness the race . . . “
What is the race of faith God has set before you?
What is trying to talk you out of running the race?
What is the price required of you/me to run the race?
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