Running “naked” aka without music on the race has led to multiple spiritual lessons for me. This one was just another one that God showed me.
The mountains of Swaziland loomed in the background as I pushed harder and harder up with hill. At least this run, I thought, didn’t entail The Beast, the hill that on our braver days we would torture ourselves through. But today was different. Today my squad had planned an all squad 5k run/walk. We started our run at the familiar “Welcome To El Shaddai” sign.
Soon enough my fast comrades, Tellus and Paige, along with Benele, our El Shaddai Brother, pushed ahead and I huffed and puffed to keep up the pace. Interesting when you add some competition and more eyes you feel the desire to perform and your body is propelling itself faster than normal.
I heard my lovely energetic squadmate Hayley yelling from the starting line with the El Shaddai Children, cheering me on. Then about half way into the run, children from nearby homesteads began shouting salutations and running alongside me. There is not better way to lift my running spirits than children. I continued to pursue my squadmates, knowing fully that the chance of me catching them was very dismal. Once I made the turnound I began to cross paths with my squadmates behind me, and we all cheered each other on. There is no greater feeling of love and belonging than your family of forty yelling encouragements. It gave me the last bit of strength to climb that last big hill without walking or stopping.
Near the end of the run I began to think of my increased pace and effort in this race. The fact of the matter is I most likely would not have finished as quickly on my own. I may have even walked a bit. Take away the children, the teammates, the squad, the love, and the competition. What would my race look like?
Here it turns to God. What would my ministry look like if no one was watching? Take away my squad leaders, my teammates, and my squad. Would I be serving Him wholeheartedly and loving His people if I was solo? What if I was in America? Would my passion still burn, or would it begin to look more like a dimly light candle darkened by First World Problems? What would my pursuit of God look like if everything was taken from me? Take away my supporters, my family, my friends, my coworkers. Would I still love strongly if I myself did not feel loved by earthly means? Take away God’s blessings: food, shelter, safety, and clothing. Would I still press on and be grateful? What if His Word was not received well? Replace thankfulness and grateful hearts with anger, resentment, prejudice, and persecutions. Would I fight the good fight?
“The way to deeper knowledge of God is through the lonely valleys of soul-poverty and abnegation of all things. The blessed ones who possess the Kingdom are they who have repudiated every external thing and have rooted from their hearts all sense of possessing. They are ‘poor in spirit’.
-Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer
I know this is an area I need to continue to press into, and I recognize how easy it is to fall into performing for earthly “things” when God has created us to perform of Him and Him alone. Just to include another cheesy analogy, this is an uphill climb in my relationship with God, and I will time and time again turn this over to Him.
“I know both how to have a little, and I know how to have a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content-whether well-fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need. I am able to do all things through Him who strengthens me. “ Philippians 4:12-13
