This coming Sunday I will do something I have never done...run 13.1 miles because I want to. The San Antonio Rock-n-Roll Marathon and Half Marathon starts at 7:30 AM. When I first came to Kerrville eight years ago, I was running a little. But along the way, a doctorate and a child later I was up to weighing...well, too much. I could not even read the Bible from the pulpit without holding it out far enough so I could see over my cheeks.
Now that I have fallen in love with running again, some people have joked with me, "What are you running from?" Plenty. I have an old picture of myself that reminds me of how I used to be. That's true physically, spiritually, and emotionally. Physically, I never want to carry that much excess baggage around again. I like being able to see over my cheeks. But there are still some physical goals I want to meet. Spiritually, I am not the same person either. I hope I am more like Jesus, but I have not arrived. I still need to outrun some bad habits and I am slowly leaving them behind.
Truth is I am running from all that I should not be on my way to what God wants me to become. Like training for the race, it's work. It's a hard grind every day. But every day you do speed work, or run distance, or cross train, or rest, you are getting closer. Don't get me wrong, the race is still hard, but with my eyes on the finish line and daily encouragement from my coach, I have come to love the run. Love the Run!