What's in a name...Part II

(In case you missed it...Part I)

Fast forward to late spring 2012 and I was asked to organize an "I Will Run" team for one of the girls in the As Our Own home. Her name was Sabeena and yes, I had met her. So I passed out fliers at my church and talked to people all over about running to raise money for this sweet girl. Race day was cold and rainy but when I showed up there were about 20 people to run half marathons and relays. We wrote our girl's name all over our arms and legs and put athletic tape on our shirts to bear her sweet name as well. We were pumped...cold but pumped! We met our goal, the funds were raised, pictures were taken, smiles were donned, sneakers were laced, and we hit the pavement.


The Amazing HFBC Summit Team - IWillRun for Sabeena!

But I got ahead of myself...lets go back a little bit to the start of my training. Remember how I said I hated running? That was neither a lie nor an exaggeration, running is hard for me. I ran a little in high school but the longest distance I had to run for a sport was usually 1 mile. When I graduated from college I decided to do a 5K with some friends and I finished in something like 35 minutes (it's ok, you can laugh...my friends laughed), my only excuse is that I didn't train at all in running and most of my physical activity was centered around biking at that point since I had done the MS150 from Houston to Austin. So I started with a basic training plan and some new sneakers. Let me remind you of the time frame we are talking about...late spring/early summer in Houston. Y'all it was HOT! I did most of my training outside around my neighborhood. It was a lovely area to run and easy to put in a few miles here and there. But it got harder and harder to stay motivated, to keep getting out there week after week. My feet hurt, my head hurt, my legs hurt. Let's face it, everything hurt and I wasn't even running 4 miles yet. I only signed up for the relay so I was training for a 10K but still it seemed impossible for my body to ever get to that goal. I asked track coaches I knew for pointers and read endless blogs and articles on running. I looked up equipment and nutrition guidelines. I researched my little fingers to the bone. And here is what I learned...there are so many parallels between physically running and spiritually running...



"Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God." ~Colossians 3:1-3

Posture - In running it is important to maintain a good posture otherwise you risk hurting the body or straining something unnecessarily. Arms move in a specific motion at your side and legs are never to cross the imaginary line vertically down your body. Your back should be straight and you shouldn't lean forward or back. Your head should align with your spine so you maintain steady balance. All of these are basic fundamentals to starting a running program. While I was running one day I felt a question com upon me, "what is the posture of your heart?" We are taught as followers of Christ to turn toward Him, to set our minds on Him and things in Heaven. When we turn our spiritual self away from Him we risk losing balance and possibly stumbling...just as in running, if anything gets our of balance we risk hurting ourselves physically.

"Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." ~Hebrews 21:1-3

Focus - The next thing I learned was where to look when I run. Because I was running on sidewalks in a busy city I needed to have my eyes on my next step to make sure I didn't stumble over the broken cement (or concrete...my civil engineering friends are shaking their fists at me right now). My focus couldn't be too narrow or too far ahead, it needed to be where I would be stepping next. In scripture it says to keep your eyes fixed on Jesus. When Peter stepped out of the boat he was able to walk on the water as long as he kept his eyes on Jesus, the minute he looked around at the water and waves he began to sink. Maintaining focus on our saviour helps us to keep from stumbling and falling into sin, He is our security and saving grace, our strong tower and ever present help in time of need.

"Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing..." ~James 1:2-4

Endurance - Running didn't come easy to me, it took practice and determination and commitment. I had to have a goal or I would have stopped early on. But Sabeena, that sweet face, knowing we were raising money to support her education and physical needs encouraged me to press on through the pain and suffering. Suffering, we are taught, produces endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope. Hope in Christ alone. No matter how much I ran I still never felt skilled at running...but over time I became better, it got a little easier, I got a littler stronger. My suffering turned to endurance and my endurance turning into me liking running...maybe even loving it some days.

I was so humbled the day I decided to do my final long run before race day, 6 miles. I started at my house and ran all the way to a local park, around the 3 mile loop there, and back. Almost immediately when I reached the park it began to rain. And by rain I mean the sky opened up on a warm September day (remember...southeast Texas) and I was drenched in seconds. To my complete amazement I realized I was enjoying this run. While I would normally be ticked to be soaking wet and trudging through a wet, muddy tack, this day I was so glad to be running. In God's great mercy I made it all the way home and couldn't stop smiling. Although it was painful The Lord had brought me there, He provided verses to keep me going. These words I clung to and lifted up to Him kept my feet moving when everything in me screamed to stop and give up. These physical phylacteries of the old testament became metaphorical on my runs. I learned to fix scripture on my heart in such a way that it became real. It was increasingly living and active to me.

I would have never run this race had it not been for a trip to India; a trip that would forever change my heart and worship, one that brought me to me knees needing His guidance and wisdom. This trip seemed so simple: go and visit, see what As Our Own is doing to battle trafficking and bring light to a dark place, but it became so much more. A simple task to organize a running group turned into revelation of scripture, words brought to life through a mundane and seemingly pointless (at least to me) activity. I still marvel at what He did that season, my eyes tear up at the thought of His sweet mercy to teach me the way He did. There were many more lessons I learned through that journey, many other event took place, and of course my work with As Our Own did not stop there...but at least now you know where the name comes from.

Sarah (my awesome relay teammate) and me getting ready