Establish A Routine

Establish a Routine

Those who have made running a part of their daily or weekly schedule are often able to carry that discipline into other areas of life, even the spiritual. They may, for example, establish a regular time of intense, personal prayer.

Daniel may be the best biblical example of someone who had established a spiritual routine. As a young man in Babylon, where he had been taken as a captive after Judah’s defeat, he could have succumbed to frustration and despair, or he could have given in to the pressures of the culture and tried to fit in, to be like the pagans around him. Instead, he remained faithful to God and continued his practice of daily prayer, even after a law had been signed that required everyone to worship an idol. “When Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God” (Daniel 6:10).

Two points jump out in this passage. First, Daniel knelt in prayer “as usual”; this was his daily practice. Second, Daniel prayed with the “windows open”; he didn’t hide his devotion to God. Daniel was able to remain strong in his faith and faithful to his commitment to God because of the focus of his life and his continual communication with the Father.

The Runner

The book of Daniel begins with this story:

The king ordered Ashpenaz, his chief of staff, to bring to the palace some of the young men of Judah’s royal family and other noble families, who had been brought to Babylon as captives. “Select only strong, healthy, and good-looking young men,” he said. “Make sure they are well versed in every branch of learning, are gifted with knowledge and good judgment, and are suited to serve in the royal palace. Train these young men in the language and literature of Babylon.” The king assigned them a daily ration of food and wine from his own kitchens. They were to be trained for three years, and then they would enter the royal service. (Daniel 1:3-5)

These young men were selected for an elite training program in the kingdom. But Daniel and three of his friends didn’t go along with the whole program. They were selective about their diet, insisting on eating vegetables instead of the king’s rich food. And they proposed a ten-day test to see who would be in better shape. “At the end of the ten days, Daniel and his three friends looked healthier and better nourished than the young men who had been eating the food assigned by the king. So after that, the attendant fed them only vegetables instead of the food and wine provided for the others” (Daniel 1:15-16).

These men were disciplined in all areas. We don’t know their exercise routine, but we can imagine the four of them rising early and running a prescribed course around the great city of Babylon. They wanted to be physically and spiritually healthy—to honor God.

The Race

Those involved in organized sports often explain that the experience of working out, practicing, and developing skills and stamina teaches them how to use their time well and to be disciplined. No one has more time than anyone else; we all get twenty-four hours a day. But some people accomplish more during their allotted hours because they know how to establish a routine and then keep to it. This certainly is true with running. Face it, on some mornings (or evenings) we can feel totally unmotivated to pull on those shoes and get going. We may not feel well, or the weather might be cold, wet, humid, hot, or windy. We can always find an excuse if we try. But disciplined runners go out anyway. Some runners find others to join them so they can encourage each other.

Spiritual “runners” need to take the same approach in their relationship with God. The writer of Psalm 119 declares, “I will pursue your commands, for you expand my understanding” (Psalm 119:32). This statement implies an intentional effort to continually understand God’s Word and then do what it says. Regular—daily—routine.

The Result

Regular communication is basic to any strong relationship with anyone, God included. And the great news is that he wants to speak and listen to us. Communication with God comes mainly through his written Word and prayer. As we read and study the Bible, we learn about God and his will—principles for living. Regular time in God’s Word is imperative.

So is prayer. Yes, we can (and should) talk with God throughout the day—before meals, in moments of decision or stress, and in times of gratitude and praise. But we also need concentrated times of in-depth conversation, when we pour out our feelings and requests or simply sit in silence, contemplating God’s goodness and thanking him for who he is and what he has done.

These habits need to be part of our daily routine.

My Story

Usually whatever I am studying or working on in my Christian life somehow makes it into my running life. One of the more memorable examples occurred several years ago when I was training for a spring marathon while simultaneously doing a study on spiritual disciplines. I was learning that spiritual disciplines allow us to become the people we want to be. When we respond in a way that is un-Christlike—whether that’s inappropriately expressed anger, bitterness, jealousy, or something else—we are simply expressing outwardly what is in our hearts. If we want to change the result on the outside, we must consistently practice spiritual disciplines to change our hearts inside first. This was the focus of my Bible study as we headed into the dark Chicago winter.

I have always considered the time between Labor Day and Christmas to be the “golden time” for running in Chicago. With the worst of the heat and humidity gone, despite some cold November winds, you can generally find good running weather most weeks at that time of year.

After Christmas, however, the situation changes quickly. Snow and ice are constant threats, and the already-cold temperatures drop another ten degrees or so, just enough to make it difficult to assemble sufficient layers to stay warm.

Because I was scheduled to run an early-April marathon, my peak training weeks fell to February, a dicey proposition. This winter proved especially difficult even by Chicago standards, with lots of snow in January. So I was forced to cut a lot of my runs short due to cold or ice and snow on the roads. My hope was that I would increase my mileage in February to make sure I had a sufficient base to tackle the marathon. Unfortunately, February proved even worse than January for getting outside. I ended up cutting out at least one run per week, and my long runs went from a planned eighteen to twenty miles to ten to fifteen. The longest run I was able to get in the entire winter was sixteen miles. Still, I remained optimistic that my previous training would help, and because I had several marathons under my belt at that point, I felt I could make it through anything race day would throw at me.

On race day, knowing that my training was not all it could have been, I started the race at an easier pace than I normally would have. The idea was to go slow to ensure I had plenty of energy left for the late miles. The early miles were uneventful, but I noticed around the halfway point that I was not feeling as fresh as I normally did. From there a section of the course heads downhill for a while, but at around mile sixteen the course gradually goes uphill. As soon as I saw the hill at mile sixteen, I knew I was in trouble. By mile eighteen I had thrown out all hopes of keeping my (seemingly easy) pace intact for the entire race. By mile twenty I had slowed another minute per mile in my pace, and around mile twenty-three it was all over.

As I began my three- or four-mile “death march” (the phrase I used when talking to myself during the race) to the finish line, I thought of my lack of training: the long runs cut short, the base miles not run early in the winter, the complete lack of “tempo” runs to keep up my cardiovascular endurance. What did I expect to happen on race day?

Through my discomfort and anguish as I sheepishly ran the last quarter mile (to keep up appearances, of course), I thought, Ah, yes, and what do you expect to happen in your life when you cut short things like giving sacrificially, your prayer time, your time studying the Word, etc.? Yep, a death march.

Mike

Think It Through

1. What keeps you from developing spiritual routines?

2. When would be the best time each day for you to read your Bible and pray?

3. Devotional books like this one can help. What other resources do you need for your daily routine?

4. Which friend(s) could you enlist to encourage you and hold you accountable?

On Running

What are some principles of goal setting?

The most important principle of goal setting is to write down your goals. You can’t monitor them if they aren’t written down. Set specific goals—what you want to accomplish and when. Set difficult but realistic goals. Set short-term goals to reach long-term ones (very important in marathon running). Think all the way through the process, setting outcome, performance, and progress goals. If you’re racing, set goals for training as well as for the race. Record how and what you’re doing. Be sure to consider your own personality and motivations, and find a support system for reaching your goals. Finally, find someone else to provide an evaluation and give you feedback.