This blog is from last week, but I'm just getting around to posting it…
Yo Adrian … we did it! This is one of my favorite movie lines of all time. If you didn't know, that's what Rocky Balboa cried out in triumph at the end of his boxing match during Part IV of the Rocky movie series. There are A LOT of cheesy scenes in this movie, but running in the deep snow tonight in Alaska made me think back to the grueling training Rocky endured in one of the snowy scenes that took place in the Soviet Union (er, actually this scene was filmed in Wyoming!).
Tonight, my friend called me up and offered me some of her extra dinner. Because I've spent practically all my free time recently studying for an exam, I've resorted to canned soup as my food staple. My close friends know this and have blessed me with meals and leftovers in abundance. THANK YOU dear friends! So, with the welcome invitation to come over and get veggies, rice and tofu with homemade peanut sauce, how could I resist?
I put on my insulated xtra tuffs (awesome Alaska-style footwear) and ran a couple of blocks over to her house. Because we were inundated with about two feet of fresh snow this week (yeah!), it made for a challenging run, even if it was a very short distance. And so it was in the moment of sinking deep into the snow, losing my momentum and having to laboriously pull each leg out of every post hole to do it again, that I thought of Rocky… training hard with perseverance in the deep snow drifts. Being a competitive athlete myself, I couldn't help but smile at how difficult and straining it was to run in the snow in boots. I knew I was getting a good work out. Running in the snow also reminded me of another type of training…. spiritual training.
AM I RUNNING WITH ENDURANCE THE RACE THAT IS SET BEFORE ME?
Scripture says we are to throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance (endurance, patience) the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith…Consider him who endured…so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:1-3) Hmmm… what do I need to throw off right now in my life that is hindering me? How about fear. In the name of Jesus, I command that fear be gone so that I may continue running with perseverance.
AM I DILIGENTLY TRAINING? AM I RUNNING TO WIN THE PRIZE?
The Bible talks about the need for self-discipline, which is a critical part of training. In 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, it says Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
Lately at times I feel like I haven’t been running too well. I’ve gotten bogged down in the snow drifts of life and I’ve lost track of the prize and the race set before me. I’ve focused on the heavy snow weighing me down instead of looking forward. My run in the snow reminded me to persevere, be patient and keep moving forward. Yo runner – be steadfast! This is how Paul described his life course: I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. (2 Timothy 4:7) Yo – keep the faith!
And no joke – I find it very ironic that I’m listening to an old school song from the 80s and the lyrics are: Ain’t nothing gonna break my stride, nobody’s gonna slow me down, oh no, I’ve got to keep on moving.
