Thursday, August 16, 2012

Life's Race (No exercise involved)


Running. It may be a sport (one I participate in, actually), but running can be applied to something greater than athletic clothes and running shoes. That's right, I'm not talking about the kind of running you do so that you can eat that doughnut later today, I'm talking about the kind of running we do in life.

Here's an analogy to get things up and running (punny, right?). So you’re going to go run a 5k, and you’re so excited! I know, some of you are thinking, ‘Me? Run? Puh-lease. I would rather walk on coals.’ but stick with me here. You start to follow the crowd into position, and the gun goes off, and you start to run. You’re feeling really good in the beginning, which is awesome because you never actually trained for the race. However, you soon start to wear down, and you’re getting really, really tired. Shouldn’t this race be over already? You ask one of the helpers how much farther I have to go and they say, “You’ve already run 5 miles, so you have about 8 miles left to go.”*  That’s when you realize you’ve been running the wrong race THIS ENTIRE TIME.

Think about this! You were running the wrong race the whole time. Life is almost like a race, sometimes we just follow the crowd into position, and start running down the wrong path. Because, unfortunately, we can’t always differentiate between right and wrong, sometimes, we start running a race without even knowing what we have gotten ourselves into. This is important. In life, we run after empty things like money, fame, and attention. We all have a longing that needs to be fulfilled, and we all have a God-sized hole in our hearts. Which, shocker, can only be filled by God!!! Lucky for us, God tells us to run to Him!

Here is what the Bible says about running:
Hebrews 12:1-3
1 Corinthians 9:24-27
Isaiah 40:31

* If you don’t know, a 5k is about 3.1 miles, the 13 miles described above account for the amount of a half marathon.
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9 comments:

  1. Holly_CanAugust 17, 2012 at 2:25 PM

    This is such a cute blog! I loved the analogy of running the race: so creative!!

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  2. livin4HimAugust 19, 2012 at 5:42 PM

    First, I agree with Holly. Second, this is so true. I too have a huge longing that God is constantly filling. How would you suggest that I continue to fill my longing for God?

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    1. CrazyforJesus03August 20, 2012 at 1:56 PM

      Hannah, I believe that in order to keep that longing inside you fulfilled, you need to maintain and grow in your relationship with God. To do that, you need to pray continually(1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). God wants you to talk to Him about everything. When you read the Bible you are growing closer to God because you are seeing more of how He works and how He thinks. More than anything though, you need to put God before everything else in your life. When He is your main focus, the crazy love you feel for Him, will continue to fulfill your longing. If you need me to give a few more verses, let me know :)

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    2. livin4HimAugust 24, 2012 at 9:11 AM

      This is good advice. Putting God before everything that I want is probably the most important thing, but also the hardest. I think it is so hard to give up the comforts of everyday life to spend time with God. But I also know that when He is first in my life, He will bless me for it.

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    3. CrazyforJesus03August 24, 2012 at 9:18 AM

      I agree with you on putting God first as being probably the hardest part of being a Christian. Being that we are sinful and selfish it is extreemly hard to put God's desires before our own. I think that the devil also make the things that are pleasing to us more enticing. "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." James 4:7

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  3. KateAugust 21, 2012 at 6:04 AM

    Kayleigh I love your blog! I definately know what you mean by the running:) It does get really hard sometimes, but we have to remember that we're running for Christ and for His glory. Your words are so encouraging, and you I loved how you metaphorically compared running physically with running for Christ. Thanks so much for your encouragement, and I can't wait to see what you'll write next!

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  4. Cassidy ShumakerAugust 22, 2012 at 10:20 AM

    This is so true! Many times I have found myself lost. I am doing things and being things that just aren't me, so this post really spoke to me. It's important that you are on the right path and not just running to escape.

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  5. Alli K.August 24, 2012 at 11:37 AM

    Great post and I love the analogy you used! We do have a God shaped hole in our heart and we should thirst for that to be filled! The amazing thing though, is that God has that same longing for us. He wants to be in our lives more than anything, yet He is absolutely perfect! We as humans are such imperfect sinners, yet God longs to be a part of us. This really shows how unconditional God's love is, and that we can always reach forgiveness, but we have to work for it.

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  6. DestinyAugust 27, 2012 at 2:56 PM

    I thought the analogy was great. I especially liked 1 Corinthians 9:24-27. It is a scripture that encourages you to persevere till the end and to keep your thoughts in check.

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