BONUS DAY

RUNNING SHOES

DAVID KRUGER, STUDENT, TWC SCHOOL OF LEADERSHIP

Throughout my life, I’ve never lived outside of the state of Michigan. Over the years that I have spent growing up here, only two obstacles have posed a challenge to my enjoyment of this mitten-shaped state: the sheer amount of road construction and the weather. Neither of these complaints is unique to me as a resident, but the latter has personal reasoning. You see, I love going for runs. The sights of nature, the feeling of the wind on my face, and yes, even the physical exertion, all bring me great joy. Yet, from the months of November until early May, it’s truly unbearable to attempt running. The sheer cold burns the skin, your sweat freezes, your shoes become soaked in melted snow, and that list could easily go on. During this large annual window of time, I try my hardest to find alternative methods of keeping myself healthy until late spring arrives.

The time, of course, finally comes when the weather permits me to comfortably run again. However, without fail, my “first run of the year” ends up as a miserable experience. My legs ache, my heartbeat is far too fast for its own good, and I can barely catch my breath. In short, my body is entirely out of rhythm with all the endurance I had built up the previous year. In just a few short months, the miles I used to breeze through become an embarrassing display of slamming on the breaks to catch my breath. After this run, it can be difficult not to become discouraged.

It is conceptually the same with prayer. I have lost track of the times when I have seen my fellow Christ-followers beat themselves up over the instances where they zealously commit to waking up at 4 a.m. to pray for hours a day, only to become overwhelmed in the very first week and ultimately give up on their goal, leaving them feeling frustrated and defeated. Whether we admit it or not, we all want to do it “right” the first time; we want to achieve the perfect amount of commitment, and we want the perfect articulation of all our prayers.

However, the fact of the matter is that our relationship with the Lord is not a New Year's resolution. Our relationship with Jesus, the Suffering Messiah, is not a list to be checked or a goal to be achieved. Our desire to be filled with the Holy Spirit is not a task we can succeed or fail at. When the circumstances and trials of life steal our attention away from our time in the secret place, and we slip from the healthy patterns we established, or if we’ve never established the patterns at all, the notion of creating margin in our day and establishing a prayer life can be daunting.

To combat that mindset, I have only one piece of advice. Simply begin by praying. To borrow the words of Pastor Tyler Staton, “The one non-negotiable rule when it comes to prayer is to show up and keep showing up.”8 When you wake up in the morning, take a brief moment to thank God for another opportunity to seek Him. Praise Him on the way to and home from work. Share your gratitude, burdens, and everything in between. Before you lay your head down to rest, pour out your praise to Him for walking alongside you through all that the day brought. The healthy patterns, the right articulations, and the lengthy intimate sessions of prayer can only begin to form once you’ve committed yourself to simply showing up to your times of prayer. To lean on my previous illustration, I cannot be upset with myself for being unable to run five miles if I don’t daily put on my running shoes and step outside.

The Hebrews writer follows the famous Hall of Faith chapter with this powerful statement,

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, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. —Hebrews 12:1–2

In this passage lies the twofold powerful truth of our pursuit of Jesus. First, we must fix our eyes on Him. More than any revelation or answer we could get out of our time spent in prayer, our strengthened relationship with Him is the ultimate reward. Secondly, we must run with perseverance. When you choose to show up again and again to the place of prayer, it creates a steadfast and enduring spirit within you. Inevitable distractions or challenges will get in the way of your race, but it is in those moments where we choose to seek Him regardless of our reservations or feelings that a beautiful relationship and incredible intimacy are born.

PRAYER

Lord, thank You for the privilege of prayer. Thank You for wanting real, authentic relationships with the creation that You gave your son as a sacrifice to save. In response to who You are and what You’ve done, I choose to seek You. I ask, Lord, that You increase in me a desire to choose to seek You by simply beginning to pray, to shower You with words of worship, to lay out my fears and failures, and to simply rest in knowing that my eyes are fixed on You. I ask, Jesus, that these intentional times of fellowship between us create in me a greater endurance to seek You further. I love You, Lord, and I thank You, amen.