Time to run

Everyone of us must find something to do that stresses our body physically.  If we do not, our hearts will rarely pump hard, lethargy will become commonplace, pounds will be packed on, and I believe, depression will set in.  A pampered body is the home of a stressed mind.

100 years ago (I LOVE starting sentences with that phrase) nobody sat around--ever.  If they did, they died.  The advancements of modernity have given us tons more leisure time than we ever had before (Check out this TV show on "time"--it's hilarious, too).  People used to have to put forth tremendous physical effort all day long just to have bread and carrots on the table for supper.

Jesus worked hard too, by the way.  He walked all over the countryside, he worked hard with his hands (before his "public ministry" began).  He worked!  The historian Josephus tells us that Jesus had the reputation of building GREAT plows.  These plows were built with precision and built to last.  They were scattered all over the hills of Nazareth years after his career as a carpenter ended.

In my job, I could sit around all day long.  I meet people for coffee, lunch, sodas, shakes and fries.  I pay other people to make all this stuff while I sit and talk, having driven my air-conditioned car too and from the appointment.  So I must find something that stresses my body and makes a difference.

I love running.

I love thinking about the next day's run when I am going to sleep at night.  I love the first few steps of a run when my knees try to tell me to quit.  I love running intervals and finishing feeling like I couldn't go much further at that pace. I love when my lungs burn a little on a "tempo" run and I love when my legs feel really tired at the end of  along run.  I love being alone, preparing to be with people all day long.  I love the solitude with the squawking of random birds as I run through their territories.  I love the fraternity of the morning exercisers--it's very exclusive, but everyone is welcome.  "Good morning" really means, "Hey, you and I have chosen to do something this morning that is good for us--and we are really proud of that."

More than anything, I think, I love being a runner.  I love being at my goal weight (I am almost there (again)!), I love being able to eat what I want but still making healthy choices.  I love taking my pulse as I prepare to go to bed and counting off a low and strong heart rate.  I love the strong mind that lives inside a strong body.  I love being the person who didn't make any excuses, but persevered through heat and rain to accomplish my goals.

On my wall in my office is the famous Eric Liddell quote that inspires me: "When I run, I feel the pleasure of God."

My amazing wife is a runner, too.  I love talking running with her and our runner-friends.  It invariably leads to other fitness discussions, from biking to walking to herbs and healthy food.  It's fun.  We try to be careful to not overdo it--especially when we have other friends around who don't get it.  It often ends in the same place:  we love being healthy and sharing life together, serving God from strength and the posture of a strong body and mind.  We are all aware that these hobbies will pass away with our weakening bodies.  And it's okay. The goal remains the same: to die gracefully in the healthiest possible body.

I have friends who hate running.  They laugh and poke fun at the concept of running.  I get it.  Not everyone loves to run.  That's fine.

But in a day when we have far more leisure time than ever before, and far more creature comforts that decrease the amount of time we spend on everyday chores and survival, you are not too busy to do things that are good for you.  If you have told yourself that, it's time to stop that soundtrack.

Don't fall into the trap of being sedentary.  When someone (even yourself!) tells you they are too busy to do something, remind yourself that there is no way on earth that is true.  Find the hard thing that you love to do that stresses your body: walking, gardening, taking care of animals, building or maybe even running.  Allow yourself to work hard and sweat like crazy--it's good for you.  In fact, a stressed body can be the home of a strong mind.

Time to run?  There's always time to run.