Running Shoe Mileage

I just checked my shoe tracker on my running log and was amazed to see how quickly the miles have added up on my "new" shoes. Before I go on let me clarify what a shoe tracker is exactly.  It's simply a program that allows me to apply all the miles I've run to a particular pair of shoes.  If I run six miles I can tell the program to give those six miles to shoe A or shoe B - whichever shoes I wore for that run.  It's a simple way to determine when I need to upgrade to a new set of shoes.  Too many miles on one set wears them down and aches and pains can creep up.  Now that I've explained what the tracker is we can go back to my "new" shoes. They are already approaching 200 miles while my "old" shoes I've been alternating with are in the last days of their running life. They will soon be retired and turned into my walking shoes. My walking shoes, in turn, will be rotated into the position of camping shoes. And my camping shoes ... well, they will wind up in that space in my closet until I figure out what to do with them. The same place already occupied by other retired running shoes. One day I plan on donating them to a shoe charity or recycling place but have yet to find one easily accessible. Hence, they wait while I run out of closet space.


Meanwhile, I gave my husband the heads up that when he runs the next budget he will need to consider the cost of new shoes. That's the downside to all this marathon mileage. It's putting mileage on the pocketbook! It's a good thing I'm not into wearing lots of high heels and fancy shoes. I've not the room for them or the cash flow! Actually, I haven't the feet for them anymore either. The last thing I want on my poor tootsies after running for an hour or more is a pair of torture devices disguised as fashion. I don't care if they are supposed to make me look taller and sexier. I find my running shoes offer a more down to earth muscular look. They tell the world I've earned the calf muscle definition in my leg and that, in my opinion, makes for a sexy set of legs!

I'm excited to see the miles adding up on my shoe tracker. It's like wearing a pedometer but in miles instead of steps. It is the backstory to the concrete evidence my shoes display of all my runs in the rain, mud, dirt, leaves and grass. It is a testimony to all the hard work, dedication, perserverance and pure mental grit I've developed through this activity called running.

Think about this for a minute, what can equate to a shoe tracker and a set of shoes in your spiritual life?  Have you figured it out?  If so, you're good!  If not, let me give you a hint.  It requires reading and application.  Yes!  The Bible!  My bible is like my running shoes.  If it is being used on a regular basis then it will show the signs of wear and tear ... markings, scuffs, wrinkled pages.  The last thing I want as a Christian is a bible that still looks new and pristine after years in my possession.  It should look like I've taken it out for a few hard runs.  It should show all the work, dedication, perserverance and mental grit I've developed in my years walking (or running) with the Lord.  It should be the backstory to the concrete evidence my life displays of a commitment to Jesus Christ.  But here is where shoes and my bible differ.  While my bible may look worn down and old, the message in its pages will never wear down and become old.  It is as good today as the day it was first written.  I will never need to replace the words written between its covers.  I can  buy different bibles with different covers but the words, the truth, will always remain the same because Jesus doesn't change.  "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever."  Heb. 13:8

    So when I've had a hard run in life and I'm tempted to put on some of those fancy schmancy 'you need this to make your life better' shoes the world offers, I'm going to remember what my poor tootsies require after a long hard run and I'm going to give my soul the same consideration I give my feet.  I'm going to reach for the soft comfort my bible supplies through the grace and goodness of Christ and let the "miles" add up.