Sprint!

I’ve heard runners say how wonderful a feeling it is once one has pushed through the pain barrier while running. I was lying awake last night struggling to nod off, and suddenly found myself wondering why I have never attempted to push through the pain barrier.

The answer probably lies in the fact that I’ve never liked running. The 50-yard dash is ok; anything longer is just too long. When I was in junior high school, President Kennedy introduced a series of annual fitness tests all students had to take and one of them was a longer-distance run. How I hated it! And I always thought it ridiculous to have people on the sidelines shouting out ‘Sprint!’ during the final several yards. I was grateful just to cross the line. Eventually.

But last night, I remembered how Paul encourages us through his letters to run a good race and to finish well. 

Finish well. I guess as a gramma I am now starting to close in on the finish line, and I want to finish well. I want to be spiritually sprinting when I see Jesus face to face. So I wondered, sleepily, if I ought to challenge myself physically in order to gain some spiritual insights. 

Maybe I will start running. Short distances initially but working towards pushing through that pain barrier to see what happens then. Notice the maybe. But it’s a serious consideration.

I know that as I head into the final laps spiritually I will welcome encouragement from the sidelines. ‘Sprint!’ May I be able to dig deep, break through any pain barrier, and do just that.

And may I also be one to be shouting ‘Sprint!’ from the sidelines as others approach their finishing line. It’s a joyful thing to run a race, and to finish well.