My Spiritual Life as a Runner, Week 7

Warm Up: 1 Peter 5:8, Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

Stretching: Read 2 Samuel 11

Run: I like variety in my training regime. Sometimes that means varying up race training with long runs, short runs, wind sprints, hills, and resting. When I’m not training for a race, it can mean swimming, biking, cardio equipment, aerobics, weight training, or other variations of exercise. Because I can get so easily bored, it’s important to spice it up whenever possible. Even if that means different routes on different types of terrain, or different times of the day if my schedule permits, variety is truly the spice of my life. The key is consistency. I think cross training is important because it keeps me engaged in the training process and everyone knows it’s easy enough to find reasons not to work out. Last week, I was feeling a little gloomy about a scheduled work out and decided at the last minute to explore a new trail in a park on the other side of town. After working in an errand, I headed over to the park and enjoyed running with some different scenery.
In today’s story, David finds himself outside the will of God. For whatever reason, he was not on the battlefield where he was supposed to be. It was the spring and the rainy season was over. Apparently, war was a seasonal event in the world of kings around this time period. But, his lack of personal discipline led to trouble when he spotted Bathsheba on a roof top taking a bath. The consequences of this singular act of adultery were deadly and would change the course of David’s life. How would his story have been different if he had been doing what he should have been doing? I don’t know about you, but one of the great rewards of a disciplined, healthy lifestyle is the feeling I get after a run. Part of it is physical and part of it is a sense of accomplishment. On a spiritual level, this means staying disciplined to do the things you need to do in order to be in the will of God. This would include disciplines like reading your Bible, Bible study, prayer, fellowship, scripture memorization, fasting, etc. And being disciplined doesn’t need to mean boring. You can vary your ‘cross training’ up in ways that help you to stay engaged. Don’t let your training regime get old. Let your imagination and creativity help focus your training so that you stay physically (and spiritually) fit.
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Cool Down: “Lord, there is nothing about you that is boring. Like Solomon who looked to the world with its wisdom, wealth, and pleasures to fill the emptiness in his life, I sometimes think it would be more exciting to follow the desires of my heart. But that is meaningless and ends in endless addiction, frustration, despair, and death. In you there is abundant life; a life that is more exciting than anything I could imagine for myself; an epic journey. Grant me the patience to wait on your plan and the grace to hold onto your promises. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
“The harder I train, the luckier I get.” Gary Player, PGA Golfer

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