Running, A Fight, and A Promise

I haven't run two consecutive days in a row in a while. But I just knew my day tomorrow will be full and I thought I'd try to get in a run today, even if I ran yesterday. I managed to run 4 miles. It was good weather, but a bit windy. At one point the wind was coming at me so strong, I couldn't hear anything but blowing wind in my ears - strong and loud. I pushed my way through it though it seemed I was making little forward motion or progress.

It appears that I am in a similar spiritual state. I'm pressing on and feel as if I'm just running in place. There's a lot of wind coming at me. It's a fight and well, I'm a bit tired. But I got to keep running and that is why I went running in the physical today. I'm in one of those funks that everyone experiences every now and then. And I know, it will pass.

The key is to be able to keep running, keep fighting without becoming plain ol' worn out. And that is where the promise comes in. I have been given a promise by the Lord that He will see me through, always. It always comes back to the need for endurance. And you don't feel the need for it until you're running up rugged uphill terrain or swimming in merky upstream white peaked waters or treading for hours in the deep unknown blue seas. It's in the midst of these things that you find yourself spent. But you know you must tarry. You must carry on. You must endure.

Today when I ran, the Lord reminded my of His promise to help me endure. My memory took me to the start of my first and only (so far) first half marathon. I stood there among the throngs of people, fellow runners, thousands of them. And as I stood there to wait for the starting signal, a woman pressed her way through the crowd and stood right in front of me. I could not see her face, only her back. And what a beautiful sight was before my eyes - it was the very verse the Lord gave me to cling to for months as I trained for the race. 1 Corinthians 9:24 was written on the back of her t-shirt. "Run in such a way as to win" was printed out in big bold black letters. There, at that sacred place, the Lord passed by me and promised to help me endure. Not just in the physical race, but more importantly, in the spiritual race.

It is in the running fight that those times of pure depletion can come so quick, so hard, without mercy, and you just wonder if you're gonna make it. Then His Spirit comes and fans the dimly lit wick with His promise to help you endure. And by faith, you hold Him to His Word.

So on I run. On I'll fight through the funk. And you can be sure, I'm hanging onto His precious promise!