Enjoy The Journey

Enjoy the Journey

Because we set goals and have an ultimate purpose for running, we can easily make each run and race simply a means to an end, something we do or endure in order to achieve something else. That’s fine, of course, but in the process we can miss out on a lot. And running can become drudgery, something we have to do, just like swallowing bitter medicine that the doctor ordered. Soon we can dread lacing up the shoes and going out for a run. In the process, we can miss sights, sounds, and valuable life lessons.

A few millennia ago, overwhelmed by the beauty of creation, David wrote:

When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—the moon and the stars you set in place—what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them? Yet you made them only a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor. You gave them charge of everything you made, putting all things under their authority—the flocks and the herds and all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea, and everything that swims the ocean currents. O LORD, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth! (Psalm 8:3-9)

Whether David was running, walking, or just sitting and gazing toward the heavens, he saw God and just had to break into praise. To do that, he had to be looking and aware.

The Runner

All of Luke’s relatives, friends, and coworkers knew one truth about him—he was driven. Definitely a type A personality, Luke was totally goal oriented, and he dedicated himself to reaching those goals. As a student, he had studied hard to be at the top of his class. In his career, he was moving quickly up the corporate ladder. When he joined a local running club, he soon became the one pushing the others. He approached his volunteer efforts in the community and church with the same driven gusto. And everyone knew if they wanted something done—well and quickly—they should give it to Luke. Everything he did, no matter how difficult or distasteful, was a means to an end, a way to achieve what he wanted.

But Luke began to change when he experienced a miracle—the birth of his first child. For years, he and Joanne had prayed for a baby and had tried every medical procedure, with no positive results. And they were way down the list for adoption. They hadn’t been able to achieve their goal of parenthood . . . until that moment of their son’s birth.

As he and Joanne held little Seth in the hospital, time seemed to slow to a crawl while they marveled at God’s amazing work in their arms. And when they brought him home, they treasured every minute with him, even the night feedings. During those times, as Luke gently tried to rock Seth back to sleep, he talked to God and began to reorder his priorities. And during his daily Bible readings, God opened his eyes to the other miracles in his life.

Is Luke still a hardworking, goal-oriented man? Sure. And he still runs at least three miles a day. But he’s much more relaxed and seems to be having fun. He has begun to enjoy the journey.

The Race

Like runners who don’t enjoy running and run only for the goal, many people (Christians included) miss the joy of living. For example, they only work for the paycheck. They may hate the job and endure the work, but they put in their eight hours a day. Also, they devote a good chunk of each day to sleep, probably seven or eight hours every night. So that leaves only eight more hours. Then subtract drive time, relational conflicts, and unpleasant tasks at home, and—do the math—we can see that they’re living but not enjoying life very much. They certainly aren’t taking time to see God around them.

But he’s there, in nature, people, conversations, and circumstances. And God has placed us where we are for a reason.

Tucked into a discussion with the Corinthians about eating certain foods, Paul drops this gem: “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).

Did you catch that? He said, “Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” The “whatever” includes working, playing, relating, and running.

The Result

Running for God’s glory can be difficult when you’re not feeling good already, when bad weather hits, or when you’re at the serious section of a long-distance run. And it can be even tougher in other difficult times in life. But that’s when we need to look up “at the night sky” and look around and see God and run for him.

So instead of simply putting up with school, work, and obligations, enjoy the journey, doing everything for God’s glory.

My Story

The thing I love about running is the way it enables me to know a place, to see the scenes I wouldn’t normally see. It’s a time when everything seems to pass more slowly. The scenes are in slow motion, waking me up to what is easy to miss while revealing an intimacy I long for. Running through a town or city helps me move beyond a sense of familiarity to one of belonging. When I run, I get to know the streets, the way the lights shine from homes in the evening, the way children play in the yards, the feel of rain coming down. I discover streets I wouldn’t normally know and witness the beauty of light as it cascades, heightening the beauty of everything it touches. I know the fragrances of things baking and of the seasons, fires, and the feel of fresh air through my body.

When I lived in Spain, the people had a way of asking whether you knew a place. They weren’t asking so much whether you had physically been there but whether you had truly experienced it. Could I tell them the curves of the street, the way the cobblestones felt beneath my feet? Did I know the customs of the people, and had I seen the grandness and familiarity of their cathedral? Had I stopped for a coffee in the cafe around the corner, tasted the specialty food they were known for? Could I identify the murmuring sounds of their language and tell you what was most important to their hearts?

I think of the word conoces (“to know”) sometimes when I run, wondering what the Lord is trying to tell me, what he desires for me to know—whether he wants me to know anything or just wants me to be there.

Running takes discipline, time out of the day. But often it’s not wasted, as it can end up being the best part of my day, the time when I see something or feel something special that stays with me, settles in on me, and feels as if the pages of my heart have been read, giving me hope and fuel.

It seems God would want me to have more of those moments because he says he came that I might have life and loves me beyond anything I can imagine. I wonder whether he’s often trying to gently tell me that I would have more of those meaningful moments if I sensed him consistently in the scenes around me, if I looked more at life through the eyes I have while running, really seeing what lies before me.

Kim

Think It Through

1. When have you enjoyed running the most? What have you learned about yourself and about God’s creation during your runs?

2. Which areas of your life do you least enjoy and find yourself simply going through the motions or doing them only as a way to reach a goal?

3. What will help you enjoy the journey?

4. What “whatever” challenges are you facing that should be done for God’s glory?

On Running

Does running reduce depression?

Running and exercise can reduce depression because exercise releases hormones in the body that help to elevate mood and increase energy. The greater total number of exercise sessions usually leads to a correlating decrease in depression. Greater lengths (months) of exercise also usually mean a greater reduction in depression. On the other hand, an excessive amount of exercise at one time can lead to elevated states of depression.

Even though exercise can reduce depression, getting a depressed person to exercise can be difficult because that person may be fatigued, lack motivation, and have low self-esteem. Often their fitness levels are low.