I’ll See You There

As I taper into this weekend’s marathon, I’m running just to enjoy it, to love the movement, to stay loose and ready. Yesterday I laid down a simple 5 miles in 53 minutes. I am anticipating a feast of running; a good time and a happy, celebratory experience. Sure, I will struggle through some aspects and adapt myself to situations, but I have already determined to stay focused on the finish line – to complete my run, Lord willing. Yet every day I breathe I am focused on the finish line, the far country - I wrote about this a short time ago – eyes and heart fixed on the far country. So, the Twin Cities Marathon this weekend is just another of life’s warm-ups for that great day.

My father in the last few days of his life wrote a letter to the family. In it he said, “We all await that great day, I’ll see you there.” I still cry when I read his words. I weep with longing for that great day with the Lord, my Sovereign, my King. My father died many years ago, and over time my heart has been drawn with ever increasing intensity to think of that far country. I am more focused than ever on eternity. But we have trails to run and lives to live. How do we live with eternity hanging before us? King Solomon once wrote,

He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. [Ecclesiastes 3:11]

God has put eternity into our hearts. He has put some fragrance of heaven, some notion of the far country into our lives to quicken us; a quiet calling out as we make our way through this life on earth. On the trails as we run, we see His handiwork. As we dash along the hills, we hear creation singing to Him in bird songs and on the wild breezes; we see trees waving glorious praise to Him as they dance on the crazy, sometimes stormy, wind. And all the while He quietly beckons us to Himself, calls us to set our gaze to the far country, to His purposes and His treasures. And still there is a life to be lived and trails to run – but we do them all for Him. Yes, there are people to love, and there is laughter and joy – and sometimes sadness and grief. Yes, so many things to echo heaven’s call. Well, for the moment, I’ll just focus on that finish line out there, and I’ll run for Him, for my joy in Him. Together, let’s both run hard and true. This is the thing. Remember what my Dad said, “We all await that great day, I’ll see you there.”