free to run

Running always makes me feel good. It energizes me and brings me joy to run, and it is something I could do everyday for hours and not get tired of it. I wish I had the time to do that because it would be wonderful. When I run, I'm able to block out the rest of the world and enjoy nature (of course with my iPod shuffle on and upbeat music playing through my headphones), and it always leaves me satisfied and feeling good about myself. When I ran track and cross country in high school, some of the running was enjoyable, but often, I would just want to get to the end of the race. Isn't life sometimes the same? I feel like we are so often just pushing through everything we do in order to meet deadlines and goals we set for ourselves or society sets for us. We are all about getting things done and being successful, which is not always a bad thing, but it is if we are not focused on the most important race and the reward that will come with it. The race I'm referring to is one of great faith, one that ends with the greatest reward of all--eternal life. In 1 Corinthians 9:24 it says to "run in such a way as to get the prize." I think this verse is encouraging us to live like Christ and do everything for His glory. We can only do so much, but God uses what we have and adds to that so that we can accomplish things we may have thought we never could have accomplished. With Him, we can do anything, but without Him, our lives will only result in failure and disappointment with ourselves. Yes, as Christians, we will sometimes be disappointed with God, but if we look deeply into the situation, we will see that there is good that comes out of the bad--always. I mean doesn't Romans 8:28 say that all things work together for good for those who are called according to His purpose? I think so! That should make us want to run even faster toward the loving, gracious, neverfailing God whom we serve. Running the race with God will not always be comforting, but we will always end up feeling good about ourselves and learning a lot along the way. Psalm 16:11 says "In Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures evermore." Running with God is rarely disappointing, and only good can come from it. God wants us to run with Him so that He will be given glory, and we should want to run with Him to learn more about His character and to experience the unconditional love He has for us. We should run to Him because His arms are wide open, and we should have the picture of eternity in our minds as we run, because it is the best reward there is! Jesus died on the cross for our sins so that we could coexist with God in Heaven! This is only our temporary home, and we don't think about that enough. If you trust and follow God, you will be rewarded with eternal life and unity with Him, and I couldn't look forward to anything more. Don't think about those deadlines and goals, but set your mind on what really matters, and that is running the race with Christ, not with the world. I'll end with a quote from C.S. Lewis: "If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world."