Enjoy The Journey

Enjoy the Journey

You may be thinking, Enjoying the journey while jogging around the neighborhood or doing a few quick miles sounds nice, but how about at twenty miles when I’m cramping and dizzy and can’t see because of the sweat? How can that be enjoyable? Good point. Enjoyment isn’t exactly what comes to mind when you’re struggling and the finish isn’t in sight. So here’s where we have to stretch the meaning of “enjoy” to include help, sense, learn, and anticipate. We shouldn’t expect to feel good with the “runner’s high” at every point of the journey.

We can enjoy our marathon experience, even during the most physically challenging times, by encouraging someone else who is also suffering, looking for faces in the crowd, and praying, thanking God for bringing us this far and asking for his strength to keep going. And here’s another truth: Most marathon runners, when reflecting on their experience, will say they learned the most about themselves during those struggles and seemingly impossible miles, as they pushed through the pain and pushed ahead, sensing God working in their lives.

Listen to this amazing promise that relates to all of life, including our running exploits: “We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters” (Romans 8:28-29).

The Runner

Joseph had everything going for him. As the youngest of twelve boys, he was spoiled by his parents. He was also good-looking, well dressed, and had the gift of interpreting dreams. Unfortunately, he made the mistake of telling his older brothers about a dream in which he ruled over them. Here’s how they responded: “‘So you think you will be our king, do you? Do you actually think you will reign over us?’ And they hated him all the more because of his dreams and the way he talked about them” (Genesis 37:8).

After a while, the brothers’ resentment of Joseph pushed them to sell him to some traders as a slave; then they told their father that Joseph had been killed by a wild animal. Joseph was taken to Egypt, where he was purchased by an army captain named Potiphar. Joseph worked hard for Potiphar and became his personal attendant, but Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce Joseph when her husband was away. When Joseph refused her advances, she screamed, “Rape!” and Joseph was put into prison.

Joseph was such a good prisoner that the warden put him in charge of all the other prisoners. One day he interpreted the dreams of a couple of men in jail with him who promised to put in a good word for Joseph when they were released. But they “forgot all about Joseph, never giving him another thought” (Genesis 40:23).

Eventually Joseph got a chance to interpret a dream for Pharaoh. And when Joseph did this successfully, Pharaoh was so impressed that he made Joseph a high official in Egypt. Then, through a series of circumstances involving a famine and food distribution, Joseph confronted his brothers who had come to Egypt for food. The brothers didn’t recognize Joseph at first, but when they did, they were afraid, and rightfully so.

But listen to these words of Joseph to his brothers who had abused him and sold him into slavery: “Don’t be afraid of me. Am I God, that I can punish you? You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people. No, don’t be afraid. I will continue to take care of you and your children” (Genesis 50:19-21).

Joseph had been torn from his family, sold into slavery, falsely accused, imprisoned, and forgotten. Yet he had seen how God had worked all of those events together for his good and God’s glory.

The Race

The statement “God causes everything to work together for the good” isn’t saying that everything is “good.” It’s also not implying that we’ll immediately see the “good” and learn a lesson. Looking closer, we see that God is doing the work, not us.

The next phrase to note is “work together.” This means that we shouldn’t isolate certain events and wonder how they turned out to be good. Instead, God combines all the events to form something that is good. We must remember, too, that God can do anything. He can even take negative choices and experiences—our failures and sins—and make something positive from them. And then we have that word “good.” This simply means something that is in our best interest, brings glory to God, and helps us to “become like his Son.”

The Result

You can enjoy the journey, even the tough times, if you understand and believe that God is weaving these events, including your pain and difficulties, into a glorious tapestry. You may not see the final masterpiece until much later, but you can know that he is working and pulling together the strands of your life and making you like Christ. Because of this truth, you will be able—as Paul wrote to first-century believers who were encountering strong opposition and conflict—to “Always be joyful” and “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16, 18).

My Story

“Layers of Dust”

Running

Exposed humanity: frail body and angry thought,

Temporal distances fragmented by illusive ambitions

Cultivated by civilization, broken by wilderness: drought

Layers of dust, winter crust on skin and path; visions

Of shrill winds through frosted morning windows,

Heavy heat desiccating being: mouth and sinews.

Humbled pride—hide your face. Return?

Running

Reveals redemption: cleansing mortality,

Freeing mind, external strength bracing perspective.

Nature unveils creation: colored leaves whisper,

Layers of dust—journey—snow-white roads lit by moon;

Lark song of morning brilliance, quiet painted dusk,

Undulating hills, deep forests, mirror lakes, noble peaks.

Humbled love—lifelong race: Return

Joshua

Think It Through

1. When have you faced a running obstacle you had to overcome or a problem you had to work through that you hated at the time, but then turned out to be good for you?

2. What makes seeing “good” in any situation so difficult?

3. What good has come from some of your struggles?

4. What will it take for you to “give thanks” in every situation?

On Running

What’s the value of strength training?

Your workouts should have some type of resistance training. It not only strengthens ligaments and tendons, but it also increases your metabolism—building muscle and burning calories. In addition, you’ll lower your heart rate and blood pressure during exertion. Your running will benefit because stronger ligaments and tendons will help keep you from rolling or spraining an ankle or knee.