I Wanna Go Home, Not Run Another Mile!

I had my last long run of this training cycle yesterday.  It was 22 miles.  That's the first time I've gone beyond 20 miles in a training run.  The day was beautiful for it.  The sun was shining and the temperature was cold.  I parked my car at the trail head on Centennial Trail figuring I'd run into and through town for a few miles before heading back to my car where I could refill my hydration belt bottle with some electrolytes.  The miles through town felt awesome.  I felt strong on the uphills and effortless on the downhills.  Eventually I headed back to the trail and reached my car having finished 12 miles.  I was happy to refill my electrolyte bottle as I have found I need that extra bit of "oomph" despite taking gu's.  Still, I discovered it was hard to stop at my car and gear up to go back out again.  I somewhat regretfully locked it back up and headed out for the final 10 miles of my run.  I made it two more miles before things began to unravel.  It wasn't that I was exhausted and in fact, I felt like I had extra energy left even at the end of the run.  No, physical energy wasn't the issue.  Nor was it that I was dealing with a nagging injury or sore fatigued muscles.  Yes, I was feeling some discomfort but it wasn't anything I haven't experienced before.  I had enough energy in the tank to push through this particular level of discomfort.  The issue was with my mind and the thoughts twisting and turning inside of it.  It told me, "I am done with this!  Get me home and to the couch where I can put my feet up.  I want to watch tv, I want to check Facebook, I want to eat (okay, maybe that part was my tummy chiming in), I want to do anything other than run for another hour and a half.  I'm bored."  Yeah, my mind was behaving like my 9 and 12 year old kids when I've told them they have to help with chores.  The next few miles felt like a slug fest as I continued to run AWAY from my car.  Would the point of turning around never come?  Finally, I reached 17 miles and found a boost of renewed mental energy as I began the run toward my car and home.  Yes, home was within reach!  It still wasn't easy despite the renewed mental boost. I had to tell myself, out loud, "only 3 more miles, 2 more miles"  or "you can do this, keep moving".  Finally!  "Last mile, me, you got this".  Hearing my garmin beep at mile 22 was heavenly.  Tearing off the irritating hydration pack was even better.  Walking to my car and stretching my tired muscles was sweet.  Sitting in my car and driving home was pure blissfulness.

Have you ever been told by God to do something hard?  Has he ever asked you to walk away from your car and the promise of comfort?  One minute you're running along in life, feeling good and feeling strong.  You even stop and spend some quality time with God, getting refueled and re-energized for the rest of your journey and then "WHAM!", life gets hard.  Sometimes difficulties are subtle in their arrival.  We simply find ourselves slowing down as we run along because things pile on us one by one and eventually we find our feet are dragging and our mind is overwhelmed.  Sometimes difficulties are sudden in their arrival.  One minute we're healthy and the next a doctor is saying scary words to us.  Perhaps a child is filling our hearts with despair or desperation in the blink of an eye and one breath.  Sometimes one word or declaration is all it takes to send our world crashing around us.  It doesn't matter the process of  how life difficulties arrive, of this we can be sure, they will arrive.  So what are we to do?

Remember that refueling?  Have you ever resisted the urge or need to stop for refueling because you're feeling good? I have a simple suggestion for you, don't.  God knows our future.  He knows what is waiting for us on the path ahead and He knows what we need and when we need it.  Take what He offers, fill up, and take some extra along with you for the journey because you'll probably need it.  Recall Psalm 23:5, "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows."  That's the New King James version.  I like The Message version.  "You serve me a six course dinner right in front of my enemies.  You revive my drooping head; my cup brims with blessing".  Regardless of the version we use, this is saying God will fill us with more than we can hold so go ahead and fill up!  We never know when we'll have to call on our reserves but God does so take what He offers.  It's easy to think, "Hey, I'm at my car, home and comfort are near, I don't need this right now" but there may be a few hard miles that you're going to have to traverse in the very near future, miles that will not be comfortable.  You don't want to come to them lacking the energy to push through.

Even with proper fueling we can find ourselves fatigued as we run this life.  Maybe that's where you are now.    Maybe you are looking ahead and the path seems long, exhausting, never-ending and perhaps even scary.  You're not sure if you can make it.  Your mind is taking over and it's filling your heart with fear and lies.  Or maybe your journey isn't scary right now but rather, well, boring.  You're in an apathetic state, unsure of what to do or where to go and you may not really care.  Either way, all you know is you want off this road.  First off, it's okay to say, "I'm tired, God" and take a sip of His life-sustaining power.  You are packing it along with you, right?  Trust him to rejuvenate you in the hard times.  He will give you what you need to make it through the next mile.  Sometimes life is a mile by mile journey.  Keep moving, keep seeking, one step at a time.  Those last 3 miles of my run I found myself envisioning my car waiting for me at the end.  I knew it was there and it would take me home eventually.  I knew it held the hope and promise of comfort, I just had to reach it. Though difficulties here on earth can sometimes seem never-ending we can rest assured there is an end.  We have a Savior who holds the promise of home and comfort. Remember, earth is not our home, it is the journey.  But you know what's great?  Unlike my car, that simply waited for me at the end of my run, Jesus runs alongside of us.  He's there the entire time!  He's our coach, our mentor, our pacer, our friend, our running buddy.  He gets us to the end and then he drives us home.