Happy new year. If you are like most people over the past few weeks, you have probably been thinking about last year and the upcoming year. Maybe you have even started making some plans and setting some goals. I’ve been studying the book of 1 Corinthians in the Bible. It talks about what trusting and obeying God looks like in practical terms. It even describes faith in God as a race. So for this week’s note I thought I would change the format slightly. My son, who is a runner, agreed to join us today, so I have a few questions for him regarding running and faith, followed by a short poem.
Welcome, Weston.
Weston: Good Morning.
Both your sisters have been involved with this podcast in the past. So I’m glad we have this chance for you to be on the show.
Weston: Yeah, thanks for having me.
How did you get involved with running?
Weston: Well, I first learned about running because my family ran in a few community races and then I saw my sister, Grace, running through middle school and high school and she recommended it to me. So I picked it up and I’m senior now and I’ve been running ever since junior high.
What are your current plans with running?
Weston: Our cross-country team just finished up our season and we’ve been working over the break training for the track season in the spring. That will be the last season of high school. But after that, I’m still on the fence, but I’m thinking about running in college for a couple of different schools.
Running relates to faith in God. We’ve talked about this before and I thought your insights might be helpful to others whether they run competitively or just recreationally. Or even if they don’t run at all and they just want to grow in faith. So I have a few questions for you to help explore this intriguing intersection of running and faith along life’s journey.
How are running and training similar to the journey of faith in God?
Weston: The Bible talks about the race of faith and it’s very similar to running a cross-country race, because as you run it’s not just about getting to the finish it’s also about the process and constantly staying in the moment. In a cross-country race you would rely on your motivation and drive and staying consistent. Similarly in running the race of faith you rely on Jesus and constantly go to him, otherwise you won’t finish the race.
Do you feel like running every day?
Weston: No, I definitely don’t feel like running. So that’s definitely similar, you don’t always feel like you can do the right thing. Or you don’t always have the motivation in life.
Or even feel close to God all the time.
Weston: Right. You have to trust that he’s got you and constantly be going back to him.
You have talked about how running is very much a mental sport as much as it is physical. It’s that battle in the mind of what can I do here. I think the same thing with faith. It’s a battle that there’s so many things pulling you from God and attacking you mentally that whether it’s your feelings or whether it’s some other distraction that the victory takes place in your mind first. So that brings us to the next question. Even though running and faith have a huge mental component, there is the physical side too.
How does what you put into your body affect your performance?
Weston: Well, obviously you need food to run for a race or just running in general. and the timing and what food you eat is super important for having a good race or just going out for a run. Also making sure that you are constantly being hydrated so that you can have your best performance for running. This is very similar to reading the Bible each day, because without the daily nutrients of God’s word you can’t run the race.
Junk food doesn’t really help you, huh?
Weston: Nah, but at the same time you kind of do burn it off.
That’s true but you do need the nutrients at some point. It seems like the same thing with faith, that what you expose yourself to, if it is a bunch of junk, it doesn’t really move you closer to God it actually starts to pull you away from God. Jesus even said people don’t live on bread alone but on every word that comes from God (Matthew 4:4). The Bible, God’s Word, it really is our sustenance. It really does help us each day to get strong and to do what we need to do.
Although running seems like an individual sport, it still involves a team whether its running mates, coaches, or fans. What is that dynamic like and how is it also true with faith?
Weston: Yeah, you are totally right. With running there is a lot of individuality because each person running affects themselves, mostly, but as a team you have to work together, encourage each other, and train with each other to really build each other up to go for that goal—to go for that win. This is similar to our faith because each of us walks with Jesus individually, but we also come together in community as sort of a team. We support each other and keep each other accountable. It really shows us the need for others while we still have our own faith.
Maybe share an example of that, because I know you ran into it as a team when you pursued the state championship.
Weston: During my sophomore year the seniors on our team worked very hard to bring us together. We were very successful that season. After that their legacy, in a sense, helped us to grow and to grow future generations of runners on our team. This is important in our faith, too. We can help foster growth in other people that don’t know as much about Jesus or are younger than us and we can share what we know in our faith.
What is your why in running? What is your drive and motivation?
Weston: That’s a very important question. I’ve found that God has given me such a good gift to run and I see very opportunity to race as an opportunity to glorify him, so I do my best in every race. That’s all I can do. I’ve ended up being very successful, which is a blessing. But along with that I’ve had the opportunity to reach some of my teammates through my faith and through the connection of running. All this is super awesome—how God blesses us with opportunity.
It reminds me in the Bible in the book of Hebrews it says, “Since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith” (Hebrews 12:1-2). So God marks out our race and making goals, working toward those goals, and being consistent are a super important. What we are really moving towards is Jesus. He is our destiny. In a sense, he is the finish line, but he is also the race—the process, the whole reason. Your drive, your motivation, like you said, is to draw closer to him and to help others do the same.
Weston: Yeah.
That’s awesome. We can keep our eyes on Jesus, because he is the champion, who initiates our faith and perfects our faith. It’s pretty cool.
Thanks for joining me today, Weston. I’ve enjoyed watching you grow as a runner and as my son. But more importantly it has been a blessing to see you run the race of faith. You have become a son of God and your mom and I are blessed to be your parents and to help raise you up to love and serve God and others. We are proud of who you are becoming as you follow Jesus. We love you.
In conclusion, here is a short poem I wrote. I hope it inspires you to run for life which is much more than exercise, or a hobby, or a vocation. Running for life is the race of faith God has marked out for you as you follow Jesus.
Keep Running
by Mark Greenelsh
In this new year, take your mark, set your soul,
For the race ahead will take its toll.
It’s a marathon of faith, a test of the heart,
Where every step gained is a vital part.
Consistency, my friend, is the runner’s creed,
Even when the spirit wanes and the flesh does bleed.
When trials rise and you feel like you’re done
Still trust in God, with each rising sun.
Nourish the body, with greens and grains,
But feed the soul, with holy refrains.
The Bible is sustenance, divine and pure,
For a race of faith that’s meant to endure.
Goals are the milestones, along the way,
Marking progress, lest you go astray.
Each one a beacon, in the grand design,
Guiding your path to the finish line.
No runner alone wins the race,
It’s the team, the fellowship, you embrace.
We lift each other, through trials, through fears,
Accountable, together, through sweat and tears.
Be the beacon, the example to heed,
For eyes are upon you, in every deed.
Run well, inspire, light the spark,
For many will follow you out of the dark.
The journey, the process, is where you grow,
Not just the finish, or the end of the show.
In each stride, a lesson, in each breath, a chance,
To draw closer to God, to advance.
Intentional steps, He’s marked out with care,
For the race is His, and He’s always there.
For in His footsteps, you’ll find your way,
Strategic and purposeful, come what may.
This year, run by faith, run with might,
For in Jesus, you’ll find blessed delight.
He is the way, the truth, the life so dear,
Run for His glory, the finish is near.