Hi there. I'm that guy Laura mentioned in her first post. She invited me to contribute to her blog and initially I was unsure how or even if I would. But on my run this morning I got thinking about a fact of life that brings a smile to my face (I think a lot, especially when I run). I am not going to post too often, so this may be a 'bit long, please accept my apologies and don't hold it against Laura.
As an atheist, I struggled when I observed the world around me. Life wasn't fair. Why do bad things happen? Most things just didn't make sense to me, especially people's actions and the way they treated other people. Selfishness, pride, anger, jealousy... we were all laced with it and all it did was drag us down. The worst part is, it was/is all self-inflicted.
When I started reading the bible, it wasn't long before I started to view it as more of an owner's manual than anything else. What The Godfather is to movies, the Bible is to books - it has the answer to every question! So my thought this morning...
Statement: When you look at things thru a biblical lens, they start to make sense. There is a great symmetry to our existence.
Is everything perfect? No. Is life still unfair? Yes. Do bad things still happen? Yes. Do people still act poorly towards others and themselves? Yes. That's not the point. The great fallacy in a walk with Christ is that everything is going to be perfect. When in fact, Jesus said the opposite. We live in a broken world (1 Peter 4:12-19). What does that mean? It means things might suck sometimes. But... view them thru a biblical lens, open that owner's manual.
He left us with a promise. That no matter what happens, it won't be in isolation (Psalm 23:1-6). I look thru all these things with a biblical lens and it helps me construct a basis on which I can create who I am, who I want to be, and how I need to act to fulfill that.
How does/can running glorify God? I point here to the Parable of Talents. Admittedly, I am not that smart, so I usually need to dumb things down for myself. I don't get hung up on what "talent" means here. I look at the context of the message and roll with that. God gave each of us abilities that we are called on to be faithful with. I am not sure how religious Steve Prefontaine (google him, seriously) was but he said something once that sums this up perfectly: "To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift."
Fact: God is always with us (Isaiah 41:10). He puts desires in our hearts (2 Timothy 3:16). He gives us abilities (see? I didn't use 'talents' - Matthew 25:14-30). He wants us to enjoy what He has given us (1 Timothy 6:17). Put those together and view them thru a biblical lens.
When I started my run this morning it was pouring down rain and I was exhausted, I didn't want to run at all. Honestly, the biggest reason I ran is because I didn't want to tell Laura I didn't run today. But just a few steps in, I came alive. In a way that's not possible unless divinely driven. It was in that moment that the symmetry of life I mentioned above became clear. Like when two components in a system meant to move together fitting perfectly. I was meant to run. Not to win races. Not to show off. But why? I think that's what this journey Laura and I are on is all about. But we do know that once we find it, we are called on to cultivate it (Galatians 6:4-5).
Conclusion: Do I think God is up there tinkering around in our lives, having a hand in every aspect and moment of our day? No. But I do believe he created this world. We destroyed it. He created me. And I often work to destroy me. But if we seek Him, view things thru a biblical lens, the design He laid out becomes clear. We start to know what to do and why we're doing it. He does have a plan. There is a distinct symmetry.
So... we run. We sink ourselves into God's word daily. 7 days in, 7 runs. We're going to complete our journey because God is always with us, He put this desire in our hearts, He gave us this ability, and He wants us to enjoy what He has given us. I could not be more excited for what He has in store for us along the journey for we both have other desires and abilities and I know that as long as we follow the design He laid out, His promise will remain.
Today's verse for my run: Jeremiah 29:11 - I know the plans I have for you. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. We just need to view things thru a biblical lens...
Happy running!
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