Tag: Running

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Sitting in the Dirt

Dear Sisters,

I looked up the word “friend,” as used in Proverbs 17:17 (“A friend loves at all times”), in a Hebrew dictionary. The word means ‘an associate (more or less close)’ and comes from the root, ‘to tend a flock’ or to ‘pasture it’ –by extension, ‘to associate with (as a friend).’ Working on tasks and eating together are the glue of many of my friendships. Likewise, many times we suffer through adversity together in these moments, which create and cement longstanding bonds.

My thoughts turned toward the story of Job and his friends. Job’s friends traveled to meet with him after hearing of the misfortunes that had swept over him. “When they lifted up their eyes at a distance and did not recognize him, they raised their voices and wept. And each of them tore his robe and they threw dust over their heads toward the sky. Then they sat down on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights with no one speaking a word to him, for they saw that his pain was very great.” Job 2:12-13.
Amazing love these men showed their friend! I love my friends and want to meet them in their pain, to help if I can; but I have never sat in the dirt with anyone for over an hour, much less days and nights—without speaking. (Note: they were men, however.) Unfortunately, after their great show of love, they turn from sorrowing with their friend to accusing him in their own self-righteousness.

I am afraid I too often make the same prideful mistake when a friend meets trouble. I want to help, so I seek out all the ways they have failed—to help them fix their problems and move on, of course. Yet, “a friend loves at ALL times”—the verse does not continue with said friend fixing imperfections—just loving. Sitting in the dirt. My friendships should be powdered with more of the dust of trials, and less of my desired white wash.

In James 2:23, the author recalls Abraham and God’s friendship, “’And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,’ and he was called the friend of God.” What an incredible testimony. Abraham believed—he accepted God’s promise that he would have infinite descendants even in the midst of his childless sorrow! He and God sat in the dirt together, trusted, and were friends.

Dear God, please cultivate these friendship qualities in my life—yes, dirt and all.

Running(and sometimes sitting)with you,
Rebecca

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Not-So-Elusive Joy

Dear Sisters,

Joy, for me, is one of the more elusive passions of life.  I struggled with finding much to write about joy (a good indication I needed to wrestle and write about this).  My favorite place to start is the dictionary.  I love to get to the true root of a word or thought.  One of Webster’s 1828 definitions for joy is;  “n. A glorious and triumphant state–, who for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross.  Hebrews 12:2″

I often march through the house, grim and determined to get the cleaning finished and kids through their schoolwork.  I will the laundry to be done and dinner to be delicious (that’s after I figure out what it is going to be).  All while giving a passing thought to perhaps not being quite so tight-lipped and quick to order the kids about.  They probably think I hate my job at times, while I most definitely do not.  I have had other careers and I love my stay-at-home, run-my-own-shop job!  I cannot even imagine another job I would rather have.  That being said, I thrive on challenges and perfection.  I will gladly deny myself relaxation and other treats until after all the work is done.  I look askew at my husband when he sits down with a movie and a treat while dishes are piled in the sink.  HOW can he enjoy himself when the dishes need-to-be-done?!

I like the above definition of joy.  Muscles clenched, sweat dripping, suffering, accomplishing much.  Yes!  Digging deeper, ironically, this definition is a noun.  As Christ hung on the cross, he didn’t have this joy; He saw it in the distance and accepted He would endure to receive it.

Another definition: “v. to rejoice; to be glad; to exult –I will joy in the God of my salvation. Habakkuk  3:18 ” A verb this time, an action!!  Getting excited about God and His salvation—I can do that!  Yet, take a look at the tiny book of Habakkuk, this definition’s reference.  The prophet saw destruction and distress coming, famine and want.  This book certainly does not have a party theme to it, yet even in his tears, Habakkuk found himself rejoicing in God’s salvation.  “The Lord God is my strength, and He has made my feet like hinds’ feet, and makes me walk on my high places.”  Hab. 3:19

Perhaps joy is not as elusive as I previously thought.  It is not circumstantial.  It is, however, reliant on our immutable, unchangeable, wholly good God.  How glad I am that He is the root of my joy—my circumstances may change, my life may utterly disintegrate, but He has, is, and always will be the end;  The most perfect, glorious end.  As C.S. Lewis put it at the end of The Last Battle, “And as He [Aslan] spoke He no longer looked to them like a lion; but the things that began to happen after those were so great and beautiful that I cannot write them.  And for us this is the end of all the stories, and we can most truly say that they all lived happily ever after.  But for them it was only the beginning of the real story.  All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page:  now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story, which no one on earth has read:  which goes on forever: in which every chapter is better than the one before.”

Running with You,

Rebecca

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Run, Sister, Run!!!!

My Dearest Sister,
 
​Have you ever felt like you were running through life as if it were a race? You are constantly sprinting toward the next goal, always focused on the task at hand. Sometimes though, you start to get tired and it seems like the race will never end. Each breath you take is labored and your legs are becoming weak. Finally, when you feel you can’t go another step, you stop running and collapse in a heap on the pavement, trying to catch your breath. You may be asking yourself what is wrong with you, why is this so difficult? You had felt perfectly capable of your ability to run the race just a few minutes ago. The air was crisp, and you were prepared for the challenge at hand – or so you thought. Instead, you feel defeated, like everything has been all messed up, and you’re not sure how to get up and keep running the race.

​If you can relate at all to this situation, I have a scripture that I would like to share with you. In 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, Paul writes to the church at Corinth, describing life as like a race. We are all running and most of us want first place. However, there is a catch to doing well in this race. In verses 25-27 Paul says “And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things…. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.” According to this passage, temperance – another word for self-control – is key to finishing well in this race of life. If we don’t have any discipline in our lives, not only is the opportunity to get first place gone, but we may as well consider ourselves disqualified altogether. Ouch! Unfortunately for you and I, self-control is one of those things that just doesn’t come naturally to most people. Our sinful human natures are all about gratifying the self and seeking pleasure in the moment. For the Christian though, having self-control means that the self is denied and worldly pleasures are given up to pursue something much greater. It means not thinking, saying, and doing things that are displeasing to God and actively thinking, saying, and doing the things that are pleasing to Him. Basically, being spiritually disciplined means following the rules that God has laid out for us, because it is not ourselves but He who knows what is best for us. It all sounds pretty basic in theory, but – as I’m sure we both know from personal experience – it is much harder to put into practice.

​As I am reading Paul’s words about self-control, I have a picture in my mind of a professional marathon runner. If they are serious about their profession, they usually have a set of rules they follow consisting of things they should not do and things they should do. These athletes eat healthy diets and drink lots of water. They adhere to rigorous workout schedules and seek the advice of a personal trainer. They abstain things that are harmful to their performance such as sweets, fatty foods, and alcohol; They take what they do seriously and their eye is always on the prize. If marathon runners didn’t practice discipline and self-control in every area of their life, when it came time for a race they would become easily tired and finish at the back of the pack – or worse, not finish at all. Well, it is very much the same for a Christian. To run the spiritual race well, we must ingest the Word of God (Psalms 119:10-11) and thirst for the things that, like water, are good and pure (Phillipians 4:8). We have our very own personal trainer, the Holy Spirit, who helps us when we don’t know how and gives us the encouragement we need to keep running (Romans 8:26). We are to abstain from sin, which hinders our spiritual performance and exercise daily what we learn through practice (James 1:21-22). It is about having temperance “in all things,” in every area of our lives. And if we practice good spiritual discipline, when it comes time for the race, we will be able to run without getting tired; our legs will have power and our hearts will be strong because we have sought God and He has prepared us. We will not “run with uncertainty” as Paul says, but with purpose, always keeping our eyes on the goal. It is only with the self-control of a disciplined spiritual runner that we will finish the race well.

​Unlike a marathon runner though, the prize we run for is not a gold medal that after a while will just be a memento of the past collecting dust on a shelf. As Paul says in verse 25, “Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.” I get very excited when I think about what that crown means. It’s not just a prize or a pretty keepsake; it’s a crown reserved for royalty, for the adopted children of the King of Kings. That crown is for heirs to a kingdom, joint heirs with Christ, just as it says in Romans 8:17. How often though, do we act like heirs to the kingdom of God? Does our life show that we are disciplined runners who practice self-control through the power of the Holy Spirit within us? Is our eye on the prize, constantly reminding us that we are children of a Mighty Lord? Or are we slacking when it comes to our spiritual diet and exercise program? Sister, hear me when I say that we need to be mindful of the prize at hand. We need to run with certainty and purpose, for not only are other people watching, but that crown is not something to be lost because we failed to take the race seriously. So run, dear sister! Run with discipline and purpose for that glorious and imperishable prize. Run like a daughter of the King of Kings. I will see you at the finish line!
 
​Your loving sister in Christ,
​~ Lauren