As I step away from another incredible week of the Jim Ryun Running Camp, I am reminded of the uniqueness of each and everyone of our Campers. Oftentimes during the week of Camp, as well as the weeks following, I will sit and ponder on the future paths of certain individual Campers. The teenage years can bring lots of anxiety and doubt when it comes to the decisions made about the future. Not only are we deciding how we want to spend our time and efforts, but oftentimes we wrestle about our identity. Who do I want to be? How do I want others to see me? Let’s be honest; we live in a world where the vast majority of people care deeply what others think of them. It might be as small as the shoes you wear or as big as the career you choose to pursue. As I sit here and write, I think about the journey I’ve traveled. Don’t mix up my words, I am very far from wise and still have much to learn. However, I do feel that at 30 years old, married to the perfect person for me, in a career I love, I wish I could have sat down and had a conversation with my 18 year old self. Here are a few things I would have told him.
For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man?
Galatians 1:10
If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.
When you live to impress your fellow man, and then actually do it, there is always a temporary happiness… before you realize it, it fades away just like literally anything else of this world. My favorite thing about Jim & Anne Ryun (And I say Anne as well because she made possible much of what Jim accomplished) is not what he accomplished on the track. Surely you know, he was a world record holder and the first high school boy to break the 4 minute mile. But did you know he was voted as America’s greatest High School athlete, over the likes of LeBron James & Tiger Woods? Jim also served the United States and more specifically the state of Kansas for 11 years as a Congressman. With all these achievements, you’d have thought fame & the ability to make a fortune would have been something the Ryuns were interested in. Nope. If you’ve been at Camp or spent time with them you’d know they serve the Lord alone. They really do their best to live out the teachings of Jesus. I love reading the stories of Jesus because it reminds me how He lived what He commanded. Jesus had every right and ability to live the life of a king, the life He actually deserved. Rather, what we see of Jesus is a man who wandered with no palace or platter. He spent time with the wealthy, the poor, the broken, the sick, the children. It didn’t matter. He washed the feet of the disciples. Yes, they were nasty. Jesus knew that His life on earth was temporary. He had a far superior Kingdom in mind.
The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
Job 33:4
What an earth shattering statement. If you read the story of Job, you’ll see just how sweet these words truly are. I think the same can be said for myself when I am discouraged about my place in this world. What is my purpose? Where can I feel of value? Whether you are worried about the college you choose not being prestigious enough or your 5K personal best not being fast enough, remember Job’s words above. Additionally, you are created uniquely to be… YOU. So embrace that. Keep praying & digging to find the best fit for you. Whether that’s your boyfriend, girlfriend, college, job, car, clothes just remember that you aren’t created by this world and you don’t need to live like you are! (Romans 12:2).
Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will He not much more clothe you—you of little faith.
Matthew 6:26-30
Someone once told me, if something worries you, stop and pray about that thing. The Lord has continually been faithful in my life. I have a tendency to want to control how scenarios in my life play out. When you train as a runner, you show up and do what your coach asks to be done, but you can’t completely control the outcome. You run and then you do things in addition to running. You spend time stretching, strengthening, healthy eating, sleeping and wonder whether it’s going to pay off. Guess what? It usually does! Running prepared me to handle many stresses in life, one of those being a real estate agent. The great thing about being a real estate agent is that there is no possible way of controlling and predicting the outcome! Just one of the many reasons I love the job. It requires complete focus on doing the task at hand with excellence and then leaving the rest to the Lord to take care of. I think that goes with many scenarios in life whether it be our running, our relationships, our finances, or our jobs. There are very few things we can control. Those we can control should be controlled with excellence! However, there is much that we don’t have control over. We have laid down our cross and followed Jesus! I have heard it said; it’s one thing to believe in God, it’s another to trust Him with your life!
To close, I want to challenge you to practice 3 things as you head back to school this Fall. Maybe you are starting as a Freshman, whether it be High School or College, and you worry what it holds. You might be a Senior in High School with all the confidence in the world (so you think). Either way, stop. Take some time to meditate on the scripture above along with these 3 lessons:
-You have no one to prove anything to. Christ already loves you and has called you to serve Him & Him alone
-You are made by the Spirit and you are created uniquely to be no one but yourself.
-Worrying will make your life that much more difficult. Focus on the task at hand and entrust your life to the Lord.
