I can't believe that I did my first run around Lake Merritt. It's about 3.4 miles in circumference, so it's about 5K. When my sister started training for her marathon, she kept asking me to run with her, but I wouldn't because I don't like running. I can't even last a few blocks without stopping. Yes, I was that bad and my sister and friends who tried to run with me knew it. So when I started to exercise, I wanted to stay away from running. I can do anything but run. So I did Zumba, U-Jam, BodyCombat (like boxing), and weight lifting. After a few months of weight lifting, I can feel that I am stronger and that I am in better shape. So I tried to run on the treadmill, I didn't like it so I ran for 5 mins and then walk for 5 mins and so on for a short time. One day, I decided to just run and see how long I can last. When I wanted to stop, I kept telling myself a few minutes more. It turned out that day I ran for 25 mins on the treadmill and covered 2 miles. So the next goal should be a 5K. Since the boys are at summer camp and K is at preschool, today was the perfect opportunity to try to reach my goal.
I have to say, it was quite hard. I did it at about 9am, but the weather was hot already. At less than half a mile, I really wanted to just walk. That would still be a good exercise to just walk around the lake. But NO, my goal was to run. So I pressed on. Then, I got really thirsty. I didn't bring water because I wanted my hands free. I was huffing and puffing, but I turned my iphone on louder to allow worship songs to motivate me. So I pressed on. Then, I saw that if I run the last part on the street, I would get to my car sooner. But no, I need to run the inner circumference of the lake to be able to say that I ran the whole lake. So again I pressed on. At the end when I knew that I was close to my car, I gave it all that I got to run faster and to finish strong. When I got there, I felt like I have conquered the world. My perseverance paid off and I reached my goal. I did feel alittle light headed and my legs were wobbly, but after drinking water and sitting down, I was fine.
On the run, I needed strength, so I prayed and thought about God and His plans for my life. I have personally experienced what Paul, in the Bible, talked about running the race and finishing strong. I have heard many people, especially runners, say that running is alot like living the Christian life. And so far, I understood what Paul and everyone said. But today, I actually experienced it and it became personal. As I ran, I periodically looked at the spot where I started because that's where I will end. Thinking about my goal helps me move forward and I know I am closer and closer. So this is what Paul talks about in Philippians 3:14 "I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." I just had to keep my eyes on the prize and go for the goal. Then I thought, what's my goal in my Christian life? Every Christian wants to earn rewards in heaven and hear the Shepherd say, "Well done, my good and faithful servant." I want that more than anything. It's a good goal, but that goal seems so far away. It's like me setting my goal to run a marathon before this run. It seems so far and hard to reach. The goal of running the lake is more reachable, so I realized that while I desire to hear my Shepherd's I praise, I need to set short reachable goals for my spiritual life. That way, I know I am moving forward and that I have accomplished something for the Kingdom.
Another lesson I learned is that every Christian should judge themselves by their own walk and deeds and not compare ourselves to others. I have to admit that I often compare myself to others, especially to those who have a strong walk with the Lord. I would feel discouraged that I am not as patience, kind, compassionate, and gentle as the other person. And that leads to feeling in adequate when I serve. But today, I realized that each Christian have a their own race to run and each race is different. There should be no comparison, it's like comparing apples to oranges. As I ran, there are a lot of people who are also running. Most ran faster than me. Some might have more training or are in better shape than me. So I didn't want to run fast like they are. I am just glad that they are running like me. I just want to run at a pace that I can finish and all I wanted was to finish the lake. In the same way, everyone has their own Christian race. Some might have more training coming from Christian home or some have stronger network, but each of us should focus on our own race. Hebrews 12:1 says, "And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us..." We should run the race that marked out for us and not the one marked for someone else. When we run someone else's race, we will surely fail and not reach our goal.
