Something that I'm gradually realizing about the sport of running and the act of running alike is this: all of it - the training, the resting, the sweating, the pushing, the rolling, the stretching, the enjoying the results of difficult labor, the community, the goal-setting, the highs, the lows, the PR's, the trophies, etc., etc., etc. - all of it, down to each minute piece, is truly a gracious, free and full gift - one that is given from God Himself to His creatures to enjoy in creation.
Now, I know what you may be thinking.
Is something truly a gift if it involves blood (hopefully not in running), sweat, and tears? Is it really a gift to push your body into the ground just to see a time on a clock? Is it worth it to run dozens of monotonous laps around a track for a workout just to do again the next day?
And to that I say: yes, it absolutely is.
But it's a gift for a different reason than the hard work. Is hard work Biblical? Sure. Actually, that's more like an emphatic YES. The proof is everywhere.
The author of Colossians: "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters..." - Colossians 3:23
Jesus Himself along with the Father: “My Father is always at His work to this very day, and I too am working.” - John 5:17
Jesus Himself on what His followers should do: "...let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." - Matthew 5:16.
How about a Proverb to cap it off? "A sluggard's appetite is never filled, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied." - Proverbs 13:4
Undoubtedly, unapologetically and with conviction, hard work is essential and important to living a fruitful life in the eyes of God. It's why many runners are so successful later in life - they work hard and diligently at their craft for hours, days, weeks and years on end. They then, expectantly and confidently, receive the fruits of their labor in performance on race day! This kind of work ethic translates into every arena of life!
But these reasons, though good, are not why I've been considering running as a gift recently.
The gift of running has become more of a gift to me simply because it's a time to be with God. It's also time to be with others. It's a chance to put the phone down, to let the brain unwind, to detach from the stressors of this life, to become in tune with the Spirit of God and to search out our deepest longings and desires. Here, the gift of running is less about "the grind" (as modern millennials and gen-z'ers would put it), and more about the "the time" - not in the sense of running a certain time, but in being present in time with the One who made time.
Something that you'll learn, when (wink wink) you come to the Jim Ryun Running Camp, is that we serve a God who loves to give gifts to His children. The greatest gift is the gift of Jesus - the Savior of the world. And the greatest gift giver now has given us the gift of freedom to run free and run fearlessly. He has given us freedom to be excited about workouts in His presence, to be at peace with our friends and family who run with us and to be hopeful for the future of how we can better ourselves in pursuit of a goal through disciplines and routines.
Hard work you should do, this is true. But hard work alone will not satisfy you. Christ will, and the act of running will feel so much more free when He is central in your pursuit!
As we near the summer and many of you high schoolers are finishing up your year, perhaps you are drained, or perhaps you're having the greatest season of your life. I'm not sure exactly where you may be, but I encourage you: run as if there's nothing to lose, because in Christ, there isn't!
We'll see you this summer!
