I felt very accomplished but I had other goals. The next goal I had was to do a 10k which is 6.2 miles. That is a big goal for someone who had never run before in his life. I have been running almost every day and training and have now accomplished my goal on my own but I needed to sign up to run a 10k and make it official. Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, all of the races have been canceled except for virtual races where you run and upload your times/pace from your apple watch app or whatever you use to track your times, etc.
Last night I went on a run at the state park near our house and it was a beautiful night. I started my run and for those of you that run you know sometimes you start a run and you can just tell that the run will be easier. You get into a rhythm and your state of mind is good. That happened to me last night. I looked down at my watch and noticed I was at the 5-mile mark and was running great times for me anyway. It was right then I remembered that I had registered for a virtual 10k and could use my run on this night and upload it as my official time. I got excited. I was about to accomplish my second running goal. Then it happened.
I felt my watch vibrate, I glanced down, and my watch powered down. The battery was dead! My run was over as far as wanting to track times and upload it for the 10k. I was so frustrated! This great run! My goal! All for nothing. I finished up my run and in my head and heart, I knew that I had accomplished my goal but it was not official, all because I did not connect my watch to the power before my run. I didn't think about it. I was busy. It just slipped my mind and because of these things it shut down and the watch died leaving me short of my goal.
While finishing up my run I began to think about the fact that our Christian life is so much like that. We try to run this race of life but we do not first connect ourselves to the power source. For the believer, our power source is God and His Word. If I took an honest poll and asked you if you read your Bible before heading out the door today my guess is that a good number of us did not power up in the Word.
Where does the direction in our lives come from? Psalms say that His Word is a lamp and a light showing us and guiding us along the path of life. Without it, we cannot walk the path that leads to heaven. If your decisions and actions are not based on the Bible then you need to reset and recharge. Show me someone that does not spend time in the word and I will show you someone that does not prioritize living a life for the Lord.
While I am running I look down at my watch and I can see my heart rate and if I am in a safe zone or if I need to slow down. Likewise, when I hold up my life in view of scripture it too tells me the condition of my heart. It may say that I am spiritually dead. It may reveal that I need to kick my spiritual disciplines into high gear and run harder and faster.
So what's your point, Jeff? First, let me say that I write my heart and my thoughts. These are not aimed at anyone as much as they are at me. I am reminding myself to plug into the power source of my life. I am encouraging us to get into the Word of God. Take your eyes off of those around you! Run the race! But power up before you go and as you go. You cannot reach your spiritual goals if you are not in scripture everyday tracking your life and heart against it. It tracks your heart and life and it reveals where you are and who you are. How does my life match up against what the Bible tells me it should look like?
I love running! I love life! I enjoy life! But I cannot do it without the Word of God. It is the source of life and it will hold a mirror up to you. You and I ought to be more connected to scripture than any runner is to their device. What do we look like when we see our reflection in the mirror that is scripture? Do we look like the world or do we look like our Savior?
Power up friends and live life connected to the source of power.
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