My mom is a 50 something maniac who runs marathons in a 30 something’s body. She’s phenomenal, having run races like the Boston Marathon multiple times, consistently finishing close to the top of her age group. But as proud as I am of her, you’ve got to understand I am competitive to a fault. So after she would often play the card of “but you’ve never run a marathon” time and time again when I was a teenager like she had done something I couldn't, I eventually ran the Marine Corps Marathon at the age of 21 as well as a bunch of half marathons along the way (and of course, I made sure I beat my mom as handily as possible in each one, just to have that card in my own hand in case I need it later!).
It’s three years later, and my mom is still going strong. Me? Not so much. Matter of fact I’ve gained about 20 pounds since the age of 21 when I was a long distance running machine. It’s good weight since it’s all from going to the gym, but not exactly beneficial to tests of endurance. And recently my competitive juices got the best of me again, as I’m running a ten miler with my mom tomorrow. Ten miles is by no means astronomical, and I probably wouldn’t have trained if I was running it alone. But I’ve got to make sure I at the very least keep up with my mom, and losing definitely isn’t an option!
So I’ve trained (sort of). I live next to a park where long paths are easy to find, but the treadmill just so happens to be in the gym next door to the bench I refuse to stop using (not to mention the one time I oh so gracefully rolled my ankle on a tree root along that trail keeps mocking me from the back of my mind whenever I’m in the decision making process of where to run). The treadmill is monotonous, boring, and tedious compared to the joys of running through the woods and seeing progress as you run, but I still use it a majority of the time. Honestly, running is running, and as boring as it may be it gets the job done.
Hebrews 12 uses the analogy of a race when discussing our pursuit of Christ, so naturally it’s a verse runners like myself gravitate to. But a lot of times, my spiritual walk can feel like it’s stuck on a treadmill, not out blazing trails or taking part in a marathon with thousands of my peers. I’m actively pursuing God, but don’t exactly feel like I’m breaking through into new territory or the promises he has for me. But thankfully, the author of Hebrews encourages us to “run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” And literally just pages later James tells us that “perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” So whether I feel I am stuck running in place spiritually or moving quickly along the path into the promises God has for me, I can remain confident that as long as I patiently keep my eyes fixed on Jesus I’m still honing myself for the marathon He’s created me for. As Peter 3:9 says, the Lord isn’t slow in keeping his promises, and that’s something I hold fast to in those times I feel pretty sluggish myself.
With that I will hit the pillow. I’m going to need all the rest I can get just to keep up with Mama Dukes!
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