There are over 50 tasks you can do in one minute. For example, I could empty a trash can, put my shoes away, pour a cup of coffee, water a plant, give someone a hug---and the list goes on. How about appreciate a run?
This week's workout was simple: Start off with a 5-minute warm-up walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for 20 minutes. Follow that with a 5-minute cool-down walk. At first glance, I thought to myself, You have got to be kidding! Only ONE minute of running? For someone who once ran 8 miles at a time, this workout seemed like torture. But then I remembered what my high school track coach once told me, "Love running like life. Don't let it consume you. Treasure every day and every run no matter how long or short." Although running one minute gave me less of a physical workout, it gave me more time for a spiritual workout. I needed to focus on who I was running for and slow down to listen to what He had to tell me.
The moment I took my first stride, God put a Bible verse on my heart from 2 Timothy 1:7: "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline." After meditating on it the whole week, I discovered each component of this verse was woven into my workouts.
According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, the word "timidity" means, "lacking in courage or self-confidence." After dealing with multiple running injuries, I always worried about starting up again. While battling with my eating disorder, I had no self-confidence. Instead, I fell into this (what seemed like) a never-ending cycle: run excessively, loose weight, get injured, take time off to heal and gain needed weight, finally heal from injury, start back up with running, get injured again, etc, etc. I think my walking cast has about the same mileage as the average soccer mom's mini-van. My fourth stress fracture this past September was my wake-up call. God gave me enough warning signs to take time off from running to thoroughly heal--but this time I was going to listen. I completely surrendered everything to Him, and was soon rewarded with joy and strength as He became the focus of my life.
So as I was running for the first time on Tuesday, there was this little voice in the back of my head saying, "Oh soon enough you're going to get injured again. You'll be back in that walking cast." But then I voiced out loud, "God, using Your strength, I will not get injured again. I am taking every stride with gratitude and praise, even if it's only for a minute." With the sun beating down on my body, I felt God's presence. No longer was I filled with fear but with power (the first component of the verse). And it was all because I fought fear with faith.
The second and third component of the verse came during this morning's run. My mom and I decided to go to the local golf course's switchbacks, which offer decent hills and beautiful scenery. Normally, I would go off ahead of my mom while she walked alone. But before I left, God asked me, "Why don't you ask her to run with you today?" At first I was hesitant since I wanted to spend one-on-one time with Him, but I knew my mom needed a pick-me-up, so I asked her. She said yes, so off we went. As we walked, I talked to her about the verse God put on my heart, and how it helped me get through the first week. Then that minute of running began. I offered my mom pointers on form, and cheered her on as we ran side by side. I could feel God pat His hand on my shoulder saying, "That's my girl. That's the way to have a spirit of love." After that one workout, my mom is now considering doing the "Run for God" 5K Challenge!
Running with my mom helped me have a spirit of self-discipline. Since I'm not that out of shape (thanks to cross-training) I had every intention of running really fast or for more than one minute. But I knew that in order to not get injured again, I needed to discipline myself to follow the workout exactly as it was written. It's not what I want to do, but what God wants me to do. If I continually follow his game plan instead of my own, I won't have to worry about any injuries.
The whole purpose of the "Run for God" program is to learn how to become a better witness for Christ. Within the first week, I learned that it requires a little sacrifice of your own agenda, and to share your blessing with others. Running won't be for my own personal enjoyment, but preparation for me to bring God's power and joy to others. It started with my mom, and I wonder what next week will bring. Stay tuned!
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