I’m a runner. Now, before you go rolling your eyes and hating on me. I am not a natural-born runner. I stumbled upon running in high school and college while playing basketball. Running was always the best way to stay in shape during the offseason. I often refer to it as a love/hate relationship. Some days the endorphins kick in, I feel like I have a little spring in my step, and I love it. Other days all I notice is my heavy breathing and aching muscles, and I hate it. Some days I feel like Usain Bolt. Other days I feel like my grandma.
Despite this runner’s rollercoaster, I chose to keep running once my basketball days were over in order to stay in shape. In the years since, God has used running in some awesome ways in my life. It often clears my head, and He often speaks to me during a run. I’m not really sure why He chooses to speak to me while I’m running… Who knows? It’s probably because the brain gets very little oxygen during exercise so I don’t have the brain capacity to be distracted, and I can just listen. (Makes sense, right?)
Nevertheless, I have realized that the journey through life with Jesus is a lot like a run. It’s easy at first but gets harder as you keep going. There’s lots of hills and valleys and plateaus. There’s highs and lows. Some days you want to get better. Some days you just want to quit. You often think it’s all too hard or that you’ll never make it because you can’t see the finish line. But no matter what, it is always worth it in the end.
There are two things God has taught me through my daily workouts that have really resonated with me in every area of life:
1. Rarely will anything be accomplished without perseverance.
“So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that He has promised.” Hebrews 10:35-36
The closer I get to the finish line, the more I want to stop running. The same is true in life. I get tired, and just don’t think I can go any further. I’ve been up the hills, down in the valleys, and stuck on the plateaus, and the enemy is there to convince me it’s time to give up -- to stop running towards whatever God has called me to do.
But I’ve learned that the last little bit, that home stretch, is the most important. This is when your mind and muscle groups gain strength (even though they feel at their weakest), and, ultimately, this allows you go further on your next run. You can’t see it or feel it, but the last part, that last bit of distance you push through, is where you truly gain strength to do more in the future. It’s the same in our walk with the Lord. If we quit when it is hardest, we will never develop the strength and faith in Him needed to go further the next time. Persevere.
2. Rarely will you see everything that is being accomplished.
When running, I often think about what is happening to me physically during those workouts, and it can be discouraging. I am keenly aware of my need for breath and the way my body feels at the time. But there are tons of other things happening at the same time that I am completely oblivious to in the moment. My muscles are being built up into something stronger and better. My brain is telling my body to continue moving forward. (Okay, that one I may pretty aware of… Mind over matter, for sure.) My heart is pumping blood to the rest of my body at a higher rate in order to withstand the added workload. My lungs are growing in capacity. And that’s only the beginning of what’s going on behind the scenes!
This mirrors my walk with Jesus. Most of the time, I am only aware of what’s happening to me right then and there, what’s right in front of my face, and sometimes it can be discouraging. However, He is working in a thousand ways that I am completely unaware of for His glory and my good (Romans 8:28), growing me and strengthening me in ways I don’t even realize yet.
In the New Living Translation, Matthew 7:7 says, “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.” I love this version because of the repetition of “keep on.” It’s like Jesus Himself is cheering me on to just keep going.
“I press on toward the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” -Philippians 3:14
Don’t stop right before the blessing. Just keep on keepin’ on. It’s worth it.
Hey neighbor! What do you feel like you need to keep on keeping on in this season of your life? Comment below so we can pray for you in your journey!
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