I Endure....

I endure so that they don't have to.

Team Living Water from Living Water International on Vimeo.

Many of you know that I run for Team Living Water. I run and raise money so that others may have clean, fresh, water. Water that sustains physical life. Water that sustains spiritual life. For when the wells are dug, the gospel is also shared. A physical need is met, but a spiritual need is also given. You see, there are two kinds of water given to these people. Hope is given, thirst is ended. I love this. Love this. This year the theme of TeamLWI was, "We endure so they don't have to."

I have been absolutely blown away this year by the generosity and support of my family and friends as I have taken on running the Half Marathon for LWI. I have to admit though, a half marathon didn't seem like that big of a challenge to me. I have run several (6 or 7) and I knew I could do it. I use the runs to pray for the people who will be receiving the water and I use the runs to pray for the gospel to be spread. Some transparency here, the runs weren't endurance for me. I could do it, I knew I could do it. As the dictionary defines it, endurance is the ability or strength to continue or last, especially despite fatigue, stress, or other adverse conditions; stamina.

Running 13.1 miles is usually fun for me. I didn't relate to the tag line until race day. I had been sick the week before, had unusual stomach cramps two days before the race, and to top it off I overdressed on race day, hence I got too HOT and felt super nauseous on the course. I wanted to quit, to hang it all up. A mental block set in with the cramps around mile 8. It was THEN that I remembered, I endure so that they don't have to. I press on towards my goal, my finish line. Each step I took, I now truly took for them. The thirsty, the hopeless, the ones I had raised money for. What a humbling, but awesome, experience (and life lesson)>

This video kept coming to my mind. The picture of an African child splashing water on his face that I saw two days before at LWI HQ flashed through my mind and then it came to me, "I endure so they don't have to." Each step I took, through the pain, the nausea, the cramps, the mental block, was for them and ultimately for the LORD.

As I reflect back, I wish I had done a bit better. I was mad at myself for not listening and taking the extra layer off. I was upset that I had to slow down. I know I could have personally done better, but I am reminded that the race is not about me, but about Him and about ensuring that Living Water is taken to the ends of the earth.

As Grayson reminded me, "you don't run for the medal, mommy, you run to save lives."

Today as I ran, I felt light on my feet, thinking of all the lives I can help save NEXT year on January 13, 2013.

Not Meant to Race Alone

A little bit of Jen trivia: I am more of an introvert than an extrovert.  Those who know me very, very well, know this to be true of me.  I still remember taking the Myers Briggs test in my Organizational Behavior class  when I was in grad school. One of the girls in my class said I would peg you for an extrovert. She got my whole assessment right except for that one trait. I'm actually borderline between the two, but on most days I tend more toward the introverted side. Contrary to what people believe, an introvert is not shy, an introvert is recharged by spending time alone!  Probably why I am re-energized so much on my runs; it is my time alone - that and all the endorphins from the runner's high. I saw a shirt the other day that said, "running is my happy hour."  I am so happy when I am running, even on days when it is hard to start.  Plus, as I have stated multiple times before, it is my time with the Lord when I get so much clarity.  I am so very blessed to have a husband who understands all of this about me and practically forces me out on my runs.  In fact, I can remember multiple times when he has said to me, "GO RUN NOW!"  He knows I need it.


However, while running is good alone, I was reminded starkly this fall of how good it is to run with others. The Lord brought into my life a good friend who introduced me to a group of women who run together.  They are incredible. They have strengthened me on my run, they have encouraged me, they have prayed for me, they have checked on me and they have raced with me.  While I need my runs alone to be quiet before the Lord, I was reminded that I also need others.  

Hebrews 10:23-25

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching. 

I need the encouragement (to pour courage into) from others, both physically and spiritually. It is vital that I am not running through life alone.  It is not good for me to be out of fellowship with other believers. I  am created for relationship, both with the Lord and with others. While I may be recharged by myself, there is so much wisdom and encouragement to be gained in and from the fellowship of believers.Not only that, in love, they also call me to accountability in my walk.  Ouch.  Let me ask you, have you gotten out of habit of meeting together with other believers? Have you let yourself off the hook with a list of valid excuses (perhaps your latest is 'I have a newborn.' oh wait - that one is mine!)?  it is so easy to stay home stay in bed, use your Sunday mornings to sleep, grocery shop, etc. but we are called to worship corporately and to fellowship with others.  We need to be spurred on (and I wish I had the energy to do more research on the original meaning of this word: I am sure it is awesome) and we need to be spurring others on toward the finish line.  

I guess I was in need of this lesson as I was also chosen to run as a part of the Living Water team.  I had no idea the difference it would make on race day. I have always run half marathons on my own.  No one could have told me the difference it would make to put the shirt on.  For one, my mindset was different. I knew I was there for them, as a part of the team. I desired to make my team proud. In addition, there was a KSBJ/Living Water station several places along the course. It seemed like every couple of miles they had groups of people ready to cheer you on. Whenever they would see a person in a jersey, they would literally go crazy, ringing bells, yelling your name, giving high fives, telling you you  could do it.  It made all the difference in how I ran.  You see, I wasn't having to constantly tell myself to hang on, that I could do it, but I had people who were on my side encouraging me to the finish line.  


Perhaps the biggest influence was our Coach who was at mile 10.  I remember him saying, "only 3 more miles. You can do this."  While it may seem like just mere words, I knew that he had run ULTRA marathons. He has been where I am. He had done it. He knew that I could finish out the race and that in the grand scheme of things, three miles was not that much.  The spiritual application flooded my mind. Not only do I need the physical encouragement of meeting together with other believers, I can also find so much encouragement in the men and women in Scripture who have walked the road before me. Many of them have been on the same path as me and have, through faith, finished well.    Abraham was called to a new location, the disciples to new jobs, Elijah survived the desert, Paul the prison, fishermen became followers, and the list goes on.  They have been there, they have walked there, they have finished. Mostly there is Christ who endured it all and now sits at the right hand of the Father, victorious! How beautiful that the Lord has written it all down for us to read, to be sanctified, and to be encouraged. Meet with other believers, but don't forget to also meet with the Lord.


Hebrews 12:1-2
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

In Step

Galatians 5:25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

I love running. Shocker I know, but as I lined up at the start line on Sunday, I thought it would be my last official organized run. Wrong. As I started the race I realized this was my race, the race I was meant to run. I had been chosen for the race. I entered through KSBJ by writing how the Lord spoke to me through my runs. Through that I was chosen to run for KSBJ and raise funds for Living Water. From the get go, the first run, the Lord has given me so much insight - some things about my own self, my life, about Scripture, about Living Water. So many thoughts, so many posts that may (or may not) follow.

The one I want to share today is about the run on Sunday, the step by step run that I made. As I lined up at the start line, I didn't think about how fast I was going to run, what time I was going to make it in, I simply thought about finding my pace and staying with it. Whatever I found my self running at come mile 1 was the pace I would keep through the race. It didn't matter to me if it was 8 minutes or 10 minutes. I was pleasantly surprised at the 1 mile mark, and I was able to keep it through the entirety of the race. I took it mile by mile. I didn't look to where the finish line was, only to the next mile marker. It was all the way around a great run - tiring at times, painful at times, enjoyable at times, all the way around great.

As I was running, all I could see were hundreds of runners ahead of me. Some people were passing me, some were falling behind me, but I stayed the pace. You see, the race was mine. I was determined to keep my pace, not the pace of the people ahead of me, not the people that were slowing down, just my pace. Some of those people started ahead of me, most of them were just flat out faster than me, but all of us were headed for the finish line. I was meant to run the race marked out for me, not the race marked out for them. I wasn't meant to run at their pace, but my own. The one I had trained at.

Along the way, there was a mile that I sped up just a bit and a mile where I slowed just a bit. There was a time to stop and be refreshed at the water stations, a time to take encouragement from my coach and a time to encourage those around me: both to those who had grown weary "You're almost there. Don't quit now." and to those who were the front runners that were already past the turn around point - clapping, cheering, being happy for them.

isn't that how it is with the Christian life? Each of us has been given our own race to run (and yes, we are meant to run with others - another post for another time, possibly tomorrow. I have many thoughts on how awesome it is to run as part of a team). Each of us has been given our own gifts, our own place, our own passion (good post on passion here). I need to stop comparing myself to others, their passion, their pace and to run my own race, the race that the Lord has given me being guided daily by Him. You see I am to stay in step with Him - speeding up when He leads, slowing down when He leads, taking time to be refreshed and encouraged, taking the time to be an encourager, but all by His leading at the pace He takes me. I need to be tuned in to Him, knowing Him, spending time with Him, reading, listening and responding.

As I was thinking about this as I ran, a few things kept coming to my mind. The first was Scripture.

Galatians 5:25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

I taught on this Scripture years ago and remembered that walk here is a military term. It is literally to walk in a line, proceed in a row, to follow in someone's footsteps. It is to march in file or battle order (precepts austin).

UBS Handbook writes that stoicheo as...

used here can be literally translated “to walk in a straight line” and probably means in this context “to behave properly according to accepted standards.”

The other things running through my mind were songs, one old and one new. The first Step by Step by Rich Mullins is one I have sung for years. I love it. Here is part of it:

Oh God you are my God and I will ever praise you

Oh God you are my God and I will ever praise you

I will seek You in the morning

And I will learn to walk in Your ways

And step by step you'll lead me

And I will follow you all of my days

The other is I Will Follow by Chris Tomlin:

Where you go, I'll go
Where you stay, I'll stay
When you move, I'll move
I will follow...

Oh how I want to run the race marked out before me in step with the Spirit.

Perspective

Just a little perspective from my half marathon this morning, when we got to around mile 5.5, there was a Living Water banner.

"Some people walk this far with 40 lbs to get clean water. We [run] to lighten their load."

Wow. I first thought, that would be like me pushing Hope in the jogging stroller, but that's not the same. I would be pushing, not carrying. Then I thought, that would be like me carrying Grayson for as far as I have just run. Granted, I can barely carrying him from the car to his room. What a wimp am I. It made me run just a little bit harder thinking that with every step I took, I was helping provide clean water for someone in the world.

On a side note, one of my running friends told me that running in the rain gave a whole new meaning to running for water. I generally hate running in the rain, but today I thought about how fortunate I was to have clean, pure water to drink and I welcomed the reminder to why I was running.

More thoughts on my run to come....

Finish Strong

A few weeks ago when I was running Sugarland Half Marathon, I was asked how I could sprint the last .10 of a mile when the last 2 miles had been so painful for me. The answer really is simple, "Finish Strong." All through my training, J has been encouraging me that no matter how good or how bad my run was to sprint in the last tenth of a mile or so to my finishing point. If you don't practice, it will be harder to finish strong. Besides, who wants to WALK across the finish line (unless you are injured) after persevering for 13 miles? Not me. However, because I had trained, I could finish and finish well.

This whole thought was brought back to me today as I was thinking, "really it's only 2 more days of my caffeine fast, couldn't I just have one today? I've mostly made it." I'm not trying to be legalistic, but I took up drinking water in honor of running for Living Water. With every glass, I am reminded how fortunate I am that I have free water at my disposal and not only that I know the true Living Water, Jesus Christ. I had to remind myself to FINISH STRONG.

How much like our spiritual journey is this? How much more do we need to finish out that which we have started - not just half heartedly, not just because we have to, not begrudgingly, but to cross the finish line sprinting.

I love these Scriptures.

Acts 20:24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me--the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.

2 Timothy 4:7 "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."

I Corinthians 9:24-25 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.

When I cross the finish line, I desire to hear, "Well done good and faithful servant."

What is it that you need to finish strong at? Is it a Bible study that you have started? Is it a place of service? simply parenting your children; I know mine make me want to give up on a daily basis? praying for the salvation of a loved one? Whatever it is, let me encourage you, FINISH STRONG!

Thoughts on Hebrews 12:1-2

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 12:1-2

As I have mentioned in earlier posts, i had to write how the Lord spoke to me on my runs in order to run for Living Water. I find a lot of clarity on my runs, but as I wrote briefly for my essay, I clearly remember the Houston half marathon two years ago. Hope was five months old at the time, the same as Michaela, and I remember sitting at the worship inside of the George R Brown. It was one of those times when I just felt the Lord's presence. I remember praying for Him to be with me during the race. As I ran the race, so many Scriptures came to life for me.

However, Hebrews 12:1 was the one that was most readily illustrated for me. As I ran down Allen Parkway, both sides of the street were lined with spectators cheering the contestants on. At the Houston marathon, your name is printed on your bib. So, there were people I had never met before yelling for me, cheering for me, saying, "Good Job, Jen." "Keep it up." "You are almost there." It was incredible. It made me think, this must be how the men/women in the Hall of Faith (Hebrews 11) must be cheering us on. We have done it, now you can to. Focus on Christ who endured and conquered. Focus on Him. It's been such a great place to go back to over the years as I am enduring the hardships that come with life.

I love how Ray Steadman talks about this passage:

The verb form of this word "witness" (martureo) is used five times in Hebrews 11 (Heb 11:2, 4 [twice], He 11:5, 39) and always refers to the giving of a (confirming) testimony rather than the mere watching of an event. So I take the witnesses of Hebrews 12:1 to be the saints who have run the race before us, and have gathered, as it were, along the marathon route to say, through the testimony of their lives, "By faith I finished, you can too!... This is the way all the witnesses of Hebrews 11 are helping us. They have gathered along the sidelines of our race and they hold out their wounds and their joys and give us the best high-fives we ever got: "Go for it! You can do it. By faith you can finish. You can lay the weights down and the sins. By faith, by the assurance of better things hoped for, you can do it. I did it. And I know it can be done. Run. RUN!"...There are dozens and hundreds and thousands of those who have gone before and who have finished the race by faith and surround us like a great cloud of witnesses who say: "It can be done! By faith it can be done."

You see our lives are a marathon and by faith it can be done.

At the Sugarland half this past weekend, the next part of the verse was illustrated to me. "Let us throw off everything that hinders us." Let us lay it aside or strip it off. The Sugarland race began cold and raining. Brr. I had on a disposable rain jacket that kept me warm and dry. By about mile 3, I was hot and it was bothering me so I tied it around my waste where I felt like it was further hindering my run. I knew that in the miles to come I would have to keep retying it, adjusting it, etc. For me, it was easier to just get rid of it. So, I literally stripped it off (don't worry I had on another top under it) and threw it away. I couldn't run with it on. Interestingly enough, after the race, I was talking to a friend of mine who commented on the fact that she was upset that she had worn a jacket and hat. She said that she felt like it weighed her down. I believe that is exactly what this passage is calling us to do in our spiritual lives. To take off and throw away all that hinders our spiritual progress. Cast it off, get rid of it so that you can run with perseverance.

What is hindering your spiritual progress? What do you need to cast off?