Going the distance...

Occasionally I go running in the mornings to keep fit, mostly by myself so I can run at my own pace, but sometimes I go with some other guys at College. A few weeks ago I decided to join a group who run with one of the members of faculty. Most of them are very fit and some even run in half-marathons or the equivalent? Anyhow, this was going to be a ‘short run’ down to Glebe, so I thought, great! I run to Glebe all the time. Well, we started off at a good pace, the air was fresh and there was a sense of excitement and anticipation. As we ran, most of us were chatting to the guy beside us and there was a good vibe. We ran to Glebe, with it’s beautiful snap shots of the harbour and city, taking a slightly different route to the one I would normally take which also meant coming back a slightly different way. By the time we made it back to the top of the hill I was about ready to finish. However, at a particular juncture where I expected we would turn back towards College, we took an unexpected turn away from College. As we continued to run I could feel both my energy levels and my enthusiasm begin to fade. From here on I was running ‘blind’. I couldn’t tell how much further we would go, nor could I tell if I would make it? Sure, I could stop and pull out, but then there was the shame of not finishing. I could keep going, but internally I was beginning to grumble about how far? I was not in control… I was lagging behind… and all I wanted was to be at the finish.
So often I feel like this in my Christian life. Running a race with an unknown course and an unknown distance. Wanting to stop, wanting to be more in control. The good news is that the destination has been revealed, but in the meantime we are left to keep running the race. The question of the Psalmist, "How Long, O Lord?" takes on a slightly different meaning… in the sense of "How much further?" I feel we pay a lot of attention to the start and finish of the race, but not much attention is paid to the endurance run in the middle? How do we keep going, spurring one another along? Sometimes it’s as though we’re running alone…