Saturday, November 9, 2013

Christianity: Not A Sprint, But A Marathon

This morning I ran my first half marathon!  I couldn't help but remember a book I read by Greg Boyd (Letters From A Skeptic; it is absolutely fantastic) in which Boyd writes to his dad about an ultra marathon he ran.  He explains he feels closest to God when running, and jokes maybe that's because he's so close to death.  I'm certainly not comparing my measly 13 miles to his obscene number, but I kinda get what he's talking about.  It was fun in a torturous kind of way, I think I would do it again (someday).

Speaking of discomfort, how about those pieces of the Gospel where Jesus gives the disciples a run-down of the end of times?  Let me just say, it makes me squirm a little.  But why?  I've accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior, I know heaven is unfathomably amazing, but still.  Still, Jesus' description of the end of times bums me out, I avoid Revelation, and I just don't know what to do with the whole thing.  Wars, natural disasters, terror... I can't be the only one a bit nervous, right? Am I the only one? 

First things first, if it freaks me out, I clearly need to know more.  Knowledge is power, right?  Plus, I love how brutally honest Jesus is.  He doesn't want to sugarcoat things for us.  Nobody ever accused him of being a sugarcoater, I don't think.  But that's how we know we can also trust him when he leaves us with the comfort that , "...when these things begin to take place... your redemption is drawing near." (Luke 21:28)

As uncertain as I am about the end of times, I do know I'll be running just as fast as I can straight to Jesus when we "... see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory." (Luke 21:27)



1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Love the title alone of this entry. So true.