While packing all of our belonging up, I couldn't help but sing to myself a line from one of my favorite bands, "I've got my life in a suitcase, I'm ready to run, run, run away" (Copeland). Of course, I'm not running away, but my life certainly has been downsized into just a few suitcases.
To me, the phrase "run, run, run away" has a really negative connotation - it makes me think that the person in the song is running away from something. Running away means to try to escape, to refuse to face your mistakes, to refuse to surrender your life to God, and all of these things are bad things.
So, I'm definitely running...just not away.
Reading the Bible recently, I started thinking a lot about the idea of running. In the literal sense, I'm a terrible runner. Those of you who know me well know, I am not the world's most coordinated person, and that makes running.......difficult. But as I was reading the Word, Hebrews 12:1-2 really spoke to me, which reads:
"Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
What does it mean to run a race figuratively? Well, I think it's safe to say, that figurative race is what Byron and I are running right now. We don't have the whole concept figured out yet, but we're learning, and we can certainly define by the negative. We know we're not running away, so that means we're running toward something - into something.
Into the Father's arms. Into the country He's called us to. Into a life of faith, because we now know, we can't accomplish anything on our our - we need the Lord in everything or else it all falls apart. As we prepare to leave on Tuesday, October 2nd, I now know that I have the strength to leave everyone in Colorado because as I run, I have confidence in knowing that the Lord has called me to run. And when Byron and I get to the finish line someday and stand before the Lord in judgement, I hope He'll tell us "well done, you ran the race with endurance."
And so, we run.
To me, the phrase "run, run, run away" has a really negative connotation - it makes me think that the person in the song is running away from something. Running away means to try to escape, to refuse to face your mistakes, to refuse to surrender your life to God, and all of these things are bad things.
So, I'm definitely running...just not away.
Reading the Bible recently, I started thinking a lot about the idea of running. In the literal sense, I'm a terrible runner. Those of you who know me well know, I am not the world's most coordinated person, and that makes running.......difficult. But as I was reading the Word, Hebrews 12:1-2 really spoke to me, which reads:
"Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
What does it mean to run a race figuratively? Well, I think it's safe to say, that figurative race is what Byron and I are running right now. We don't have the whole concept figured out yet, but we're learning, and we can certainly define by the negative. We know we're not running away, so that means we're running toward something - into something.
Into the Father's arms. Into the country He's called us to. Into a life of faith, because we now know, we can't accomplish anything on our our - we need the Lord in everything or else it all falls apart. As we prepare to leave on Tuesday, October 2nd, I now know that I have the strength to leave everyone in Colorado because as I run, I have confidence in knowing that the Lord has called me to run. And when Byron and I get to the finish line someday and stand before the Lord in judgement, I hope He'll tell us "well done, you ran the race with endurance."
And so, we run.
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