Runnings Got to Be Holy


If running isn't holy, maybe I'm not doing it right. It's got to feel special or unique. By definition, holy is to be set apart. God used the word "holy" to describe the first day of rest, and then later His people. For my running to be holy means it is set apart....it becomes more and more void of false motives or angst. In the positive sense it means freedom, ease, and enjoyment. I do it for me, and because I'm created to do it.

When running isn't set apart, there is an intrinsic danger in doing it for the wrong reasons. Studies show that people who start running just to lose weight are less likely to continue running than those who run for sheer joy. Why run then? Because we are human, and we have been created to run. If we weren't, then our great-great-great ancestors never would have been able to outrun their neighbor for dinner, or run and catch dinner. More than that, God made us as physical beings.

Therefore, I would contend that God made us to use our bodies. We're made to enjoy the ease of running in the sun or even the challenge of running into the wind and rain. The strain of muscles and the labor of breathing can make us feel alive. Whether it's in a pool, on a bike, or throwing a ball it's what we are made to do. The state most of us live in, getting paid to sit behind a desk and stare at a screen is an aberration.

Getting out on a Sunday afternoon for a long run is about as close as I get to who I am created to be throughout the week; however, that's only if nothing else is holy. If my work is not holy, if my interactions with my colleagues, if the books I read or the music I enjoy isn't holy then maybe I'm not doing it right. My running then is just an extension of the rest of life. Relationships, people, work, and studies are all holy because God made these things. He made me to enjoy good books, a creative movie, or a laughter-filled evening with family. It's all set apart.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Do the Plan

Image
At about this time of the year most of us are beginning to reflet on the goals we had for the past season of running. I had been excited to use a systematic plan for the first time this last year. It helped me run faster and more efficiently than ever, getting a best time in my marathon to boot (3:35)! Because I want to run about 20 minutes faster next year, I'm in the heat of evaluation. While checking for room to improve, and accessing how I did at implementing it I've noticed that the plan was great, but I didn't always do a good job of executing it. The 5-6 time a week runs were hard for my non-runner background to keep up with in a summer of travel and a newborn. Good plan, but probably not the best one for me. I need something that will kick me into gear, but have a certain amount of flexibility and non-running activities to stave off boredom. While coming down the finish line of my September marathon, I was also finishing up Bob Fryling's " ...
Read more

I Love Running on the Weekend

Image
I love running on the weekend. There’s no schedule of places to go or things to do, just get out the door, which can be the hardest part. But once I’m out the door there is no reason to get back home, no appointments, no getting to work. Just bliss on the trail. This is especially the case when I take Esme, my 9-month-old daughter along in her Cardinal Red Joovy jogging stroller. Then I have the added bonus of having the best running partner along, and not feeling guilty about leaving my wife on her own to hold down the fort. Which is why I would not let a few threatening clouds hold Esme and I back this morning. We were going to have a little Daddy/Daughter time on our trail together. But the overcast clouds that I thought were moving further away from us, by 2 miles into an 8-miler had turned into threatening thunder then lightening moving closer to us. My first 2 miles had felt like I already ran 18. The previous day I was on my feet most of...
Read more

Is Running too Much Cheating?

Image
"Is Running too much cheating?" a friend asked. Interesting thought. She was referring to my recent post on running to little as cheating because that's how most of us think of cheating, running too little. My brain immediately went to the Ten Commandments, not a place of Scripture I usually contemplate on issues of running. However, it makes sense that God told us too rest once a week, and he might know we need the day off. My tendency is too overwork it and run life too hard all the time. I'm most tempted to run on a day off when I haven't done the required runs already that week or month. Then I'm forced into running on days that should have been rest. But I think my friend was asking about running evenmore when the required runs have already been done. To this, I responded that this is cheating. If I run more or less than the plan, I'm cheating. Rest days give me a mental and physical break. They remind me that I am more than my given...
Read more