training, perseverance, and trying to not die.

today i ran about seven miles and then thought i might die. i didn't die. so in the end, i guess it was a victory. a painful one, though. my half marathon training is steadily making me feel more and more crazy. crazy for thinking i want to run it. crazy for thinking i'll be able to.

but one thing i've loved about training so far is that there are so many biblical metaphors for the whole endeavor. and training, perseverance, endurance, feeling like you might die...they are all parts of my walk of faith too. maybe not the feeling like i might die. but, for some christians, that bit applies too. at church we just finished an amazing sermon series through the book of hebrews. 

one of my favorite verses in all of the bible is in hebrews. it goes like this:

"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 author and perfecter of our faith." (12:1)

when i run and i think about my tired legs, 
my weakling lungs, 
and the stinking-hot temperatures, 
it's hard not to liken it to other areas of life. 
areas of life that feel like a marathon. 

but this verse says to me, 

"others are watching. you are surrounded by witnesses. so be a witness to them too. through your life, through your perseverance in the face of difficulties, through battling selfishness and pride and materialism and idolatry and all those other nasty things that try to tangle you up and bring you down. look at jesus and remember what he did. look at jesus and remember he didn't have to. look at jesus and remember that he has made your faith perfect, and secure. look at jesus and persevere girl."

it's hard, like a marthon. or even a half-marathon. 

but we've got to persevere.

see, so i like training for this race because it reminds me of the gospel. it's funny how so much of life does.