Get Advice

Get Advice

What could be difficult or complicated about running? You just lace up the shoes and take off!

That’s how many people think, and to a certain extent it’s true. Running is certainly much simpler to understand and do than sports such as tennis, golf, football, speed skating, gymnastics, or mountain climbing. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy, especially when longer distances are involved. So getting advice from experts and experienced runners only makes sense. They can give insight and guidance in every aspect of running, from choosing the right shoes to knowledge of training programs and plans. And imagine what we can learn from those who have already run a specific route.

Some believers have the same simplistic approach to their relationship with God. They know that salvation is by faith alone; they just have to trust in Christ to forgive their sins and to give them eternal life. And they know that everything depends on God’s Holy Spirit working in and through them. So they may try running the Christian race on their own, with no outside input or help. In doing so, however, they may be unprepared for what lies in their path, or they may take a wrong turn. The Bible offers several encouragements to listen and learn from others, as well as warnings about false teachers who will try to lead us astray.

Friends, experts, and wise counselors can help in running and in life. Proverbs highlights that truth: “Plans go wrong for lack of advice; many advisers bring success” (Proverbs 15:22).

The Runner

Megan never saw herself as an athlete. She had participated in the usual childhood sports—soccer, swimming, gymnastics—but hadn’t even tried out for school teams in junior and senior high school. So when she decided to run, she knew she needed good advice. The first person she asked was Kelli, a friend from church and an experienced runner. Kelli told Megan about the importance of finding the right shoes and suggested a store where the salespeople knew what they were talking about. Kelli also gave tips on stretching, pacing, fluid intake, and how to deal with blisters, chafing, and other aches and pains. Megan subscribed to a running magazine and looked for information on the Internet.

Running wasn’t easy for Megan, but she took the advice of Kelli and others, designed a plan, and achieved her running goals.

The Race

Getting wise counsel (and heeding it) makes sense in every area of life, not just running. Only foolish or prideful people think they know enough to be successful in anything they try with no help from anyone. So why do we often try to live the Christian life on our own? Anyone planning a trip to another country certainly would read about the country and the insights from travel pros, and they’d talk with friends who had traveled there previously. The traveler would want to know about packing, overcoming jet lag, currency, safety, customs, and not-to-miss sites and experiences. The faith parallels are obvious: Believers need counsel for this trip, in this race.

We can find these counselors at church—mature believers who know the journey. They can answer what-to-do-when questions and can guide us toward success and away from failure. They can also confront us when necessary and challenge us to make godly choices. Paul wrote to the Ephesian believers about the importance of working together and learning from each other: “Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-12).

The Result

The Christian life is a marathon, not a sprint, so you’ll need wise counsel to help you plan and prepare for the race. Along the way you will encounter twists and turns in the course and unexpected obstacles and other challenges, so you’ll need wise advice on how to respond. And you’ll even meet those who would try to mislead you and get you off course, so you’ll need help in determining the right way to go. Remember, “many advisers” (the right advisers) “bring success.”

My Story

I had been running for several years, beginning with high school cross-country. So I was pretty confident in my knowledge of the sport. In college, I had run to stay in shape and had competed in several 5K and 10K races. So I thought I’d try the big one—a marathon. I followed a good workout schedule and knew I was ready as the race approached.

My dad, also an avid runner who had run a few marathons, tried to give me some advice. He said to taper the last week before the race, get a good night’s sleep, eat something, and be sure to take fluids early on because I would need them later. But I did just the opposite: I didn’t get much rest, I didn’t eat anything that morning because I thought it would slow me down, I ran by all the early aid stations because I didn’t want to feel bloated and thought I would feel the drink sloshing around.

What a mistake! Just before the twenty-mile marker, I hit the wall . . . hard. And I struggled to even finish, limping, walking, shuffling to the end. My father knew me, and he knew running--if only I had listened to his advice. In my next marathon, I followed his suggestions and finished one hour faster!

Elizabeth

Think It Through

1. What advice resources are you aware of for running (people, coaches, magazines, websites, etc.)? How will you use them to help you plan, prepare for, and reach your running goals?

2. Who are your spiritual counselors/advisers? How are they involved in helping you meet your spiritual goals?

3. Where will you go for advice on dealing with temptation and sin? How about relationship issues?

4. Where will you go for counsel and guidance in knowing whether a teacher or teaching is true or false?

On Running

Should I eat anything while running?

If your run is less than an hour, you will have no need to eat anything while running—it’s not very beneficial. For a longer event, you will want a way to replace carbohydrates every fifteen minutes. Some options might be a sports drink at the beginning. The longer the race, the more you might want to increase the amount of carbohydrates. Orange slices are good—they are light on the stomach and provide some good energy. For long races like marathons, different types of compacted gel carbohydrates provide a big punch of energy. Be sure, however, to drink plenty of water when consuming the gel.