Deal With It

Deal with It

Here’s an interesting story about a marathon of sorts. Elijah had just seen God defeat the prophets of the false god Baal in a dramatic showdown on Mt. Carmel. Soon thereafter, he advised King Ahab to return to the capital city ahead of an impending storm. “Then the LORD gave special strength to Elijah. He tucked his cloak into his belt and ran ahead of Ahab’s chariot all the way to the entrance of Jezreel” (1 Kings 18:46), a distance of about six miles.

But when word reached Queen Jezebel about what had happened to her prophets, she was furious and vowed to kill Elijah. So he ran again, this time for his life, all the way to Beersheba. Elijah was spent and needed physical and emotional healing:

Elijah was afraid and fled for his life. He went to Beersheba, a town in Judah, and he left his servant there. Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day. He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, LORD,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died.”

Then he lay down and slept under the broom tree. But as he was sleeping, an angel touched him and told him, “Get up and eat!” He looked around and there beside his head was some bread baked on hot stones and a jar of water! So he ate and drank and lay down again.

Then the angel of the LORD came again and touched him and said, “Get up and eat some more, or the journey ahead will be too much for you.”

So he got up and ate and drank, and the food gave him enough strength to travel forty days and forty nights to Mount Sinai, the mountain of God. There he came to a cave, where he spent the night. (1 Kings 19:3-9)

At times our injuries may be emotional: burnout, sorrow, or as in the case of Elijah, depression. Just as with a physical issue, we need to heed the warning signs in this area and deal with the problem.

The Runner

In his service for God, Elijah had taken on the civil and religious authorities. And in the dramatic confrontation at Mt. Carmel, he had won. This was a tremendous victory for God and for Elijah. He must have been elated and also humbled at the demonstration of God’s mighty power and the vindication of God’s truth and his mission. During that time, he hadn’t eaten or slept much; then he had run six miles, only to receive a death threat from Jezebel. So he ran again. Consider the physical and emotional toll. No wonder he was exhausted . . . and depressed. Elijah felt alone and abandoned, fearful and lost. What had happened to this courageous man of God?

Elijah was simply responding like a normal human being. We need rest; we need food; we need shelter; we need companionship—that’s the way we’re built, the way God made us. In Elijah’s case, he had just come down from a spiritual high (an emotional valley often follows an emotional mountaintop), and he had powerful people trying to kill him, and all his running had exhausted him physically, making him even more vulnerable emotionally.

As is often the case, Elijah’s physical and emotional needs were intertwined, and God dealt with both.

The Race

After Elijah stopped running, he asked God to take his life because he was depressed and lonely, and then he slept. Then he ate and drank what God had provided . . . and slept some more.

Eventually Elijah told God, “I have zealously served the LORD God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too” (1 Kings 19:14). Did you hear that? Elijah felt totally isolated, alone. But God gave him new marching orders and assured him, “I will preserve 7,000 others in Israel who have never bowed down to Baal or kissed him!” (1 Kings 19:18)—that is, “You are not alone, and I am with you!”

We, too, can experience spiritual burnout, especially after pushing ourselves physically and achieving a victory. Often a crash follows. When that happens, we need to stop and recharge, which often means taking time to rest (even suspending our workouts or reducing our mileage) and eat. It also means spending time alone with God, honestly sharing our needs with him and allowing him to refresh our souls.

The Result

Physical, emotional, and spiritual burnout can come from an unrelenting schedule during which you skip meals and pull all-nighters or experience a series of relational crises, a crushing running/workout routine with no recovery time, a major life-change, or a combination of those factors. When you feel the crash coming, you need to deal with it—get off life’s treadmill and get alone with God. Nourish yourself physically and spiritually. Rest . . . and come back stronger, ready to run!

My Story

Passionate runners often find that their running is closely tied to the very core of their being, their identity—“I’m a runner”; their view of personal success as an individual—“I was able to stick to my schedule this week!”; and even their sense of inner strength and well-being. All of these then come into question or are at least rattled by injury.

After running a half marathon a number of years ago, for which I had not properly prepared, I found my knees were so sore that I could hardly climb stairs or even walk up inclines. Later, while running a short sprint with some students I was coaching without warming up properly, I severely tore a hamstring. Mixed emotions accompanied both of these circumstances. On the one hand, a good running injury, especially something like sore knees from a half marathon, is almost a badge of honor. On the other hand, it shows that you are “weak” or maybe aging. Additionally, you are incapacitated for a period of time, and you are, for a period of time at least, not a “runner.”

Throughout my life I have had to be careful not to let my running become too large a part of my identity. I must find my identity in Christ alone, not in performance, skill, or ability. This translates into many areas of my performance-based thinking, whether it be my vocation or my quest for spiritual growth or maturity. The “who I am” question must be answered before I slip into my running gear.

Rich

Think It Through

1. When has the combination of your responsibilities and workout schedule caused you to feel exhausted and burned-out physically? What did you do to recover?

2. When have other issues depleted your emotional reserves? How did you respond?

3. When have you experienced a spiritual high followed by a spiritual low? How did you get back on track?

4. What resources do you have to help you refresh and recharge your relationship with God?

On Running

What is proper rest and recovery?

Taking time for rest and recovery allows the muscles to take a break and heal. It also allows for replenishment of carbohydrates, our stored energy. Rest and recovery time differs for each person and each season. If you are training for an event, you probably will take more time for training than recovery. After the event, or during the off-season, you should be able to reduce your amount of training. Rest doesn’t have to mean doing nothing. It can include cross-training, doing activities other than running. A basic plan for rest and recovery would be to take one day a week to completely rest and one day to cross-train. Experts recommend alternating hard and easy days as well.