Let Us Run

We visited a new church on Sunday. Not that there is anything wrong with the church we have been attending, we are just wanting to check out all of our options before we decide on a church membership.

I have not been feeling well the past few days. I woke up to my alarm on Sunday and my throat was hurting. I hit the snooze button twice and after the second time, I deleted the alarm and just laid there. Then this terrible thought passed through my head... "if Aaron doesn't get up, I just won't get up." 


I know...terrible. 


Then another thought popped into my head. "What happened to all this excitement about visiting a new church? Where did THAT go?" 


And that made me think. I have been so excited about visiting a new church for weeks now! We haven't been able to the past two weeks due to Aaron's real estate class being on the weekend. What happened to that excitement from the time I went to sleep from the time I woke up? I was seriously going to let a little sore throat steal my joy?


So I got up out of bed.


We moaned and groaned getting ready, because I legitimately didn't feel well and I'm sure I  was not the most pleasant to be around that those first few waking hours (ha!) but we got ready with plenty of time to spare. My sweet husband even let us stop for coffee on the way to church because he knew that my throat was hurting and how much I love coffee. :) He's the best.


We got to church, shook a few hands, met a few people and sat down at the end of the row, as is our custom (ha.) The music was a good mix of contemporary and the occasional (more upbeat) hymn. The sermon started with the title of the sermon made me smile a little. It was "The  Promise: Run." 


Another little backstory:  Aaron and I have started the Couch-to-5k program. It hasn't been easy, nor has it been pretty. I always joke and say that I am not built for land, I'm just built for water. Water doesn't really require balance. Water makes me appear graceful. Water blocks some of the sounds and distractions of the world. Basically, I'm not athletic unless it is swimming/water-related.  Anyways... We were going to run the 3rd day of week 5 on Saturday, but the weather was rainy, my family was in town for my brother's track meet, and we were just busy. Sunday rolled around and we had a Super Bowl party to attend, so once again no running.  Last night when Aaron came home from work, I was curled up in our bed still not feeling well. I have a sore throat and am just feeling not quite 100% (it's just that time of the year). I laid there for a little bit and thought about the consequences of running. If it was too cold, I could easily go from partially sick to full-blown sick. If we didn't run, we would be behind and the next time we ran would be just that much more difficult. I have been having a difficult time being motivated with this whole "getting back in shape" thing. So back to the sermon...


The sermon "The Promise: Run" was part of a study the church has been doing on Hebrews. That day it was Hebrews 12:1-2.  


"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God."


How ironic was it that the day we decide to visit a new church, they discuss motivation on "running the race"?  The preacher was great. He used the example of training/running marathons and how much it can related to our spiritual walk/run with God.  We are supposed to run the race with endurance.  This is something that I have been struggling with spiritually. I've been walking more than running. Not even a brisk walk. More like a drudge, dragging my feet. Then it hit me how applicable my situation with the c25k program is with my spiritual situation.  I may groan and moan and mumble and drag my feet, but the end result is SO worth it! We are told to run the race, laying aside every weight (excess baggage) and sin, running faithfully. It isn't supposed to be easy, but our spiritual life is supposed to be like we are in training. We are training in order to perform at our spiritual best for the Lord, just like training for a marathon, where we need to be at our physical best. 


Needless to say, I am glad that we got up and around and went to a new church on Sunday. I am also glad that we ended up running last night. I think I have a new found motivation, physically and spiritually. Let's just say that I'm going to try and have a better outlook on "running." I also think that we should be encouraging each other to run instead of walking in our spiritual lives.  The whole point of the sermon was that we are not running alone. The verse itself says "let US run." 


So...let us run.


:) Holly