Gwanyeboyye 2

I should’ve expected it really …. Not long back from yet another injury, I was trying to lift my weekly running mileage in preparation for running a leg of the Belfast Marathon relay in May. So on Friday, instead of having my usual rest day, I decided to try to run a “hard 3” on the treadmill. To be frank, I never really got going. At 2 miles I was really struggling and at 2.5 miles the wheels came off. I was disappointed, dejected and depressed. I just wished I had taken the rest day. I just wished that I hadn’t bothered trying to do that little bit extra.

A lot of preachers and speakers, especially those with an athletic background, will use the race analogy to describe the Christian’s journey through life. Sure I’ve done it myself in a 10 minute Centre spot at our church youth club! Let’s face it, Paul makes it pretty easy for us: “let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us” (Hebrews 12.1); “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4.7). All we need to do is extend the analogy to include proper preparation (the various running training sessions twinned with Bible Study, Prayer & Meditation), right diet (physical v spiritual nourishment – we’re on a roll here!), training with friends (Bible Study & prayer with friends), avoiding temptation etc and hey! It’s just like the God channel! Show ‘em your London Marathon medal, high fives all round, no bother!

So it’s a real bummer when your running is rubbish, when the knees always feel sore, when the hamstrings always feel tight, when it’s hard to get out of bed for the training session, and your subscription to “Runner’s World” has lapsed so you’re reading “What Car?” instead? But it’s a much more sobering thought when you realise that your training for your real judgement day leaves a lot more to be desired. And the sad thing is that while there’s an excuse for middle-aged legs packing in, there’s no real excuse for curtailed devotions, rushed Bible Study and missed prayer meetings.

When you tell another runner you are running badly, they will invariably tell you that you need a target; that having the race in your calendar will focus the mind, squeeze that bit extra out of the body and help you deal with the discomfort. But every Christian already knows their target, so why do we so often neglect our preparation for it? Maybe if Paul was around today he’d write something like “of course it’s hard sometimes. Of course there’ll be nights when the wind and rain is lashing in your face. But remember who is at the finishing line waiting for you. Remember He will never judge harshly those who give of their very best whatever the result. And remember how lucky you have been that your entry form for this race was so willingly accepted……. So get your bloody finger out and Just Do it!”

Justcoffeeforme