An Ultra Runner

Running.

There was a time when I absolutely hated it. I could barely run a complete lap around the track in junior high. I never ran in high school or my early college years. As I hit my 20's, I chose to walk.

It wasn't until after the birth of my second child that I decided to jog and as I entered my 40's, I decided to embrace what I hated.

Now running became a release. A way to release any untruths and just let my mind rest.

"Pain teaches us to run comfortably" ~ Born to Run

As I sit here looking out my patio on a rainy morning, the two books I have spent time on the past couple of weeks have linked two areas of me that I need to work on.

My running abilities and all of my jagged edged insecurities.

The book "Born to Run:  A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen" by Christopher McDougall introduced me to the Tarahumara Indians and the world of ultra runners. These people run for fun and I am not talking my usual 3 miles. They run for over 100 miles just for fun. Talk about a race of endurance.

What surprised me most was the gentle, reclusive nature of the Tarahumara. They are quiet people who live secluded in the hills of Mexico but possess the ability to run for days only wearing thin sandals. It was quite a revelation of sorts that this tribe can be content and happy living in seclusion, maintaining a minimal diet, not possessing material things and have a smile on their face when they run.

This linked my thoughts to my current Beth Moore read, "So Long Insecurity: You've Been a Bad Friend To Us". It is my daily battle to overcome 20+ years of letting emotional damage wreck my thoughts. If you have never been in this place, take a moment and thank God. If you have been down this road, it is truly an ultra marathon.

Let the Lord give strength to his people! Let the Lord bless his people with peace! Psalms 29:11 CEB

Tying these two places together is easy for me. They are both races of endurance that challenges the body, mind and soul. Running and healing are intertwined in my thoughts. How can I become better at both?

It's in the words of truth which God lays out before us.

...If God is for us, who can be against us? Romans 8:31 CEB

The race set before all of us in in our thoughts, words and deeds. It is a race of being content and happy no matter the circumstance.

The thing that struck a chord with me in "Born to Run" was how all of these ultra runners from different parts of the US joined the Tarahumara to run this secret elite race. In the end there was a winner but what was most important was how when each racer crossed the finish line, they didn't stop and celebrate themselves. They ran back to encourage those behind them.

What if we viewed life in that same way? What if today, we took the time to encourage someone that has fallen behind? What if we leave behind our pride and our sense of self to give something to someone else? What if we leave behind insecurities at the starting line and finish with confidence?

I know something I am passionate about is healing. I want nothing more than to help someone who has fallen behind, to lift them up, to encourage them and to be their helping hand.

Sometimes this race means leaving behind the things that are doing us harm in pursuit of the things that God intends to richly reward us. At times, we have to come to terms with not everyone is meant to stay in our journey. I hate to use the familiar phrase but some people are a blessing and others are a lesson.

When we feel rejected, betrayed, hurt or replaced we feel the need to compete. The fact is, we can't compete and we must not choose to compete. We are "clothed in strength and dignity". Remember that statement.

When we set ourselves on this journey of endurance, God is always with us. His Holy Spirit fills us. We are equipped for this ultra race as Christians. We must not choose to compete with those who threaten or exploit our weak or vulnerable spots.

Choose to live peacefully as the Tarahumara. Choose to run your race with the endurance that is only filled with God's words of truth.

So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.  Hebrews 10: 35-36