Today’s sermon, processed through running
Posted by Carrie on 03 Aug 2008 | Tagged as: Fitness and Health, Warm fuzzy
I don’t think it’s any secret that I’m a Christian. 
And it’s certainly no secret that I’m a runner! Sometimes, the two fit together eerily well.
Today at church, running kept popping into my head. Not unusual, but it was so fitting! At one point, our pastor delivered a quote, for which my notes unfortunately lack an attribution: “Today may not be pleasant, easy, or even pain-free. But it is the only day you have.” The idea, of course, is that the past is gone and the future is uncertain, but we should rejoice in the present. For me, I found myself musing on how it related to running. Today, I did a quick three miles, which I didn’t much enjoy but which I did as part of a program to lead me to greater distance. But the truth is that I have no guarantee of ever running again. It’s possible that the worst could happen tonight, and those three miles could be the last I ever run. Conversely, once they’re gone, they, like the ten I did yesterday, are unchangeable and unable to be improved or redone. Instead of “getting through” them, I could have been focusing on every step and prizing them as much as I do my long runs, relishing them for what they are.
Later in the sermon, the paster quoted Reverend Gene Appel:
We sing, make a joyful noise unto the Lord, while our faces reflect the sadness of one who has just buried a rich aunt who left everything to her pregnant hamster.
I laughed and recalled how Bob Schwartz joked about how people are driven away from running by the grimaced expressions of agony on the faces of runners who profess to be loving what they’re doing. 
Dean Karnazes wrote that an old coach of his told him that if it (running) felt good, he was doing it wrong, because it was supposed to hurt. Of course, pushing ever harder is part of the challenge, but I think both Dean and Gene understand that struggling doesn’t equate with misery.
As the sermon ended, the pastor remarked that joy can come from “abiding with God.” Eric whispered that we use that phrase a lot in the church, but the details of “how” are often left unspoken. I whispered back, “Well, how’s this? I’ve been translating everything through running - ” (he rolled his eyes and nodded) ” - but if you took out ‘running’ and put in ‘God,’ I bet that would work.” And you know what? I bet it would. 
I need to get some rest tonight; my throat has been aching since last night, and I don’t want this to turn into something long and drawn-out. If I’m feeling well enough to run tomorrow, and I hope I will, you can bet I’ll be thinking of it in a different light.
1 Comment »
on 07 Aug 2008 at 8:56 pm
hannah said …
Oh, I hope you post more like this. I am sinking my teeth into it.
I believe that any time we magnify anything worthy, we find many metaphors for spirituality and, life.
I love that conversation you and Eric had in church.
I agree with him that all too often we are told the bottom line, but not given some of the steps and processes. I really like your answer.
I remember when I used to exercise and how it cleared my mind and especially when I was exercising outside, how my thoughts would eventually feel cleansed and there was a room for divine thoughts and connections. It’s actually something I really miss about exhilarating exercise. (Yes, she types that as she knows that nothing stands between her and that kind of exercise again. . . except for herself)