I feel foolish forgetting to post about several of my runs with the cross, especially considering I am planning on writing a book about them.
BASS PRO MARATHON 2012
Only two weeks after running my 100 miler I had scheduled my first marathon with the cross. My feet were great, muscles fresh, and I was excited to take on the marathon! My dad, best friend, and wife were all there to support me, or maybe they just wanted to wander around Bass Pro and eat fudge ;)
As usual I arrived supper early and slowly sipped on some energy gels and water as the world outside the car buzzed with excitement. When the race director called out for the 5 minute warning I lined up in the front ready to tackle the challenge. My plan was to not go out too fast, reserve my energy and just finish the marathon... always easier said then done. With the excitement, adrenaline, and freshness of your muscles you feel like you can win the race when the gun goes off. But, those first couple miles quickly fade away and you still have 24 mile left and you start to feel the adrenaline and excitement wear off. I typically blow right by the aid stations because I feel so good that I don't see the point in stopping for any fuel.
This is a great life lesson. As Christians, new or old, there are times where we feel like we can take on every problem there is in the world and accomplish every goal! This could be when you first dedicate your life to God, maybe it's after an amazing conference, retreat, or camp, or maybe it's after a really good Sunday morning sermon. When ever it is, you feel on top of the world and you are filled with the Holy Spirit. So, just like a race, you start out in a dead sprint, going way too fast. Why not? You feel great! You see an aid station and think to yourself, I feel great I don't need any help or fuel. Or because you feel so good and you don't want to stop you grab a cup on the go and try to take a drink while still running. Splashing the water all over the place and hardly any of it actually goes into your mouth. A couple miles down the road you start to feel tired and that finish line you thought you could reach so quickly gets farther and farther away. You have to learn to pace yourself and take help when you need it. God may have given me the ability to cure cancer, but if I start out too quick I can burn out. I can end up with a cramp, pull a muscle, or faint, and I may never reach that finish line God has put in my life, and then I never get to cure cancer. Not all goals and calls in your life are like a sprint where they are accomplished so quickly, most things take time, like a marathon. You have to pace yourself and keep fueled with the Holy Spirit, Word, and Christian friends.
A couple miles into the race the Lay Ministries Leader of the UM Conference ran with me for a while. He asked to carry the cross for awhile and so I gladly passed it off. Immediately my tired legs felt fresh again and I felt great. Your burdens are not meant to be carried alone! We are called to help each other and provide spiritual support, not hiding any sin. When we try and take our burdens and sin on our own you end up much like me when I finish a race with the cross. My muscles are way more sore than they could have been. My shoulders are raw and I am just exhausted. It is harder to walk because of how tired and sore. Someone in a loving way may pat my shoulder and I would cry out in pain or lash out in anger because they touched a "raw" spot. First and foremost our sins are forgiven by Jesus blood on the cross, but we still struggle with things event though we are forgiven. If we can learn how to surround ourselves with Christian friends and family who can help us through these burdensome times those raw spots will be much smaller, muscles won't be as sore, and we will not be as tired!
The rest of the race went just about the same as every other race I run with the cross. My shoulders started to get sore and my muscles started to cramp around mile 20. I talked with lots of different runners as they passed me or I passed them. Near the end of the race I started to pass runners from the half marathon race as their route joined back with mine. The amazing part about running this race was not my personal accomplishments of finishing the marathon, but of the lives it impacted! I probably had 6 or more people come up to me after the race to take a picture with me and thank me for my testimony. One girl came up to me crying. She said she didn't think she was going to be able to finish the race, it was just too much for her. But when I passed her with the cross it gave her the motivation she needed to finish what she started. Children were curious why I carried the cross and their parents had them come up and ask me. The biggest story that touched my heart is one that was shared with me several months after the event. I have to seek permission to tell the details about their story. But what it comes down to, was the picture they took of me with the cross got them through a very very rough patch in their life.
No comments:
Post a Comment