Sunglasses and Tunes

After busily accomplishing a number of small tasks I turned my attentions to a run in mid-afternoon. The weather was reporting as 19F and fair skies. I saw wild open sunlight streaming at me. I grabbed my sunglasses, some tunes, and set out for a gorgeous time in the fresh air and light breeze. You can’t always rely on a “weather report” to determine your life or your level of pleasure on a sunny afternoon – even if there is a nip in the air. I repeated my run of two days ago for a little over five miles. My tired legs were evidence that I’m not yet in the best condition. It will take some time. That’s fine. Running is an endurance sport before anything else. And that’s one of the things I love about it. Small runs build to bigger runs, and bigger runs build to long runs, and long runs build to longer runs. And all this while our conditioning is becoming more and more finely tuned to various challenges and struggles. In fact, we come to some running experiences almost excited about a special situation to overcome. Remember when you got caught in that downpour? It was challenging to work through, but you loved it; yes, you seriously loved it. You were stronger for having overcome the struggle. And I’m guessing you loved running just a little more deeply after that.

During my run today, Bob Dylan was singing “Pressing On”. I love this song. It is also about an endurance run – living for God through tough times and tougher. This is how I see my life with God, too. We press on, we endure, we overcome. Beginning with small challenges and growing to bigger ones. We progress from long runs to longer runs. And all the while our conditioning is improving. We are learning about Him and His ways. We are deepening and loving more fully. We are seeing the world increasingly with His eyes and His heart; our passions grounded in the Creator’s glory and mercies.

Another day, another run, a deeper passion and way of seeing the world with fresh eyes. “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.” [1Cr 13:12] I must keep running this race. There is so much see and know, and there is so much to love. Each day it seems that God makes my heart just a little bit bigger. Maybe that is so I can cling to Him all the more closely.