FINDING LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS - RACE REFLECTIONS

It is amazing sometimes how God's plan can so vastly differ from my own.

In the past couple of days, I have begun to reflect on my experiences at the Run for the Rocks Half Marathon, and the aftermath thereof.

A week ago, I was approaching it with no real concrete goal in mind. I planned to take it easy, and run little more than a relaxed (for me), leisurely pace - a chance to recover after a difficult, but fulfilling, summer of racing.

But somewhere about three days before the race, I started to feel like God's plans for this race were far different than my own.

On His leading, I decided to run the race to support and represent Prodigal Ministries of Kansas, a small men's transitional shelter I have been involved with on several levels for nearly a decade. It felt like a calling to be a voice of light for a ministry that, on so many levels, changed my life and my heart many years ago when I was in a dark, dark place.

With this renewed focus put on the race I was running, the Lord also reminded me how crucial it is that I give Him my absolute best in everything I do - not for my own glory, but for His. He reminded me how every step I take, with or without a pair of running shoes on, is gift from Him and, as such, should always be offered up in worship to Him.

The opportunities I have had as a runner, and as man, are far more than I have ever deserved. Running for Prodigal Ministries is a concrete symbol of that. My involvement in the ministry came at a time when I was in desperate need of hope, light and grace. It was the embodiment of the hope of a "second chance" found only in God's grace, at a time when I had very little hope to hold onto.

And so, what I planned as leisure, God was preparing to use to renew my spirit and be a voice of hope as I stepped to the starting line.

The morning running conditions were unusually difficult for an early autumn race - warm, extremely humid, and a stiff Kansas wind. It may not seem like much, but it's the kind of weather that can sap a runner quickly.

Less than two miles in to a 13.1-mile race, I knew already that I was going to be in for a mental and physical battle like I have not faced in many races. To run anything approaching my goals was going to take far more than I knew I had on my own strength.
The whole race - for me, slightly over an hour and a half - became a constant conversation between me and God, and a battle of wills Specifically it was a battle between my human frailty which kept saying, "slow down, throw in the towel, take it easy, it's okay to give up" and God's will, which says, "no matter how weak you are, you are running with My strength. Don't give up, give everything you have with every step."

The battle raged for every step of that thirteen plus miles, perhaps the most difficult mental and spiritual struggle I have had running a race of any length in a very long time. In spite of my own weakness, God's mighty power and grace was the strength that allowed me to persevere.

And, as I crossed the finish line, tired, sore and ready to throw up, I knew God had intended this race not just to do a work in me, but to be a shining light of hope in a very dark time. God allowed me the opportunity to stand on a podium as a champion to let others know of the work He can do in the lives of the lost and the downtrodden.

Paul writes that His power is made perfect in our weaknesses; that God's greatest works are done through our deepest struggles. I am living proof of that mighty power to save.

God's grace has given me so many gifts I never deserved, but it also gives me a voice and responsibility to share His message of hope and salvation with the world, and to give Him my absolute best with every step.

God's amazing grace found in the blood of Jesus Christ can give you that same second chance, that same hope of rescue from, and strength in the midst of, your darkest trials.

So, I offer this today. Do not fear life when it gets difficult. Do not fear the storm clouds when they rage overhead, or when the wind blows hard against you. There is a God whose strength is limitless and His power to save stronger than you can imagine. 

When you cannot stand, reach out your hand to Him. You can trust Him to pull you through!