September 13, 2018

Running Aimlessly


Every morning when I go to the gym there is a petite woman who runs on the treadmill for 45 minutes straight, pausing only to check her Fitbit. As she runs she makes loud grunts as her lungs strain for breath, the large varicose vein on one leg bulges and her fair skin turns pink with exertion. Yesterday she paused, slapped the Fitbit on her wrist a couple of times as though trying to make it work correctly and said an expletive. It was as though she was angry not only with the wrist monitor, but with her body because her heartbeat was not up to the level she thought it should be. Following yet another expletive she sprinted and pushed her body even harder in order to increase her heart rate. People of faith also run, but they run their race in such a way as to get the prize — a crown that will last forever. Paul said, “Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize” (1 Cor 9:26-27 NIV).    

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