Increase Your Speed - The Runner's Devotional
Increase Your Speed
Some runners who seem to be coasting or taking it easy aren’t lazy; they simply are afraid to run faster, thinking they won’t have the energy or endurance to continue very long or to finish. But if we’ve planned well, geared up, trained the right way, and started slow, we should have confidence in our ability to perform at this point in the race. In addition to helping runners build endurance, another reason for including at least one run of eighteen or twenty miles in a marathon training schedule is to build confidence. Knowing that we ran that far should help us believe we can run just a 10K farther and finish. It’s a matter of faith, trusting in our preparation and what we know about ourselves and running a marathon.
The Bible talks a lot about faith. Here’s a familiar example: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take” (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Trusting in God means depending on his wisdom and strength, not our own. It means asking him what he wants us to do (“seek his will”), and when he shows us, doing it.
That’s what David did. And after God rescued him from his enemies and from Saul, he sang, “In your strength I can crush an army; with my God I can scale any wall” (2 Samuel 22:30).
We run—we live—in God’s strength, trusting him in every stride.
The Runner
Jesus told a story about a man and three servants. About to leave on a long trip, the man entrusted three servants with bags of silver: five, two, and one, respectively. The servant with five bags invested them and earned five more—100 percent increase. The servant with two bags also doubled the amount through his investments. But the one with a single bag buried the master’s money in the ground. When the master returned from his trip, he called together the servants to see how they had handled his money. For the first and second men, he had nothing but praise: “Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!” (Matthew 25:21, 23). But here’s what happened with the other man:
The servant with the one bag of silver came and said, “Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate. I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.”
But the master replied, “You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate, why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.” (Matthew 25:24-27)
The master was angry with this man because he was only thinking of himself and making excuses. Because of fear, that man was playing it safe.
Holding back is how many people run. It’s also how many people live.
The Race
The third servant was well aware of the risks involved. That’s why he buried the money—out of fear of failure. His focus on himself and his predicament caused him to forget about his master.
Living by faith often involves sacrifice and pain and always involves risk. But we do what God wants because we know and trust him—we follow his paths and rely on his strength.
The Result
Saying that we trust God is easy; living it out takes commitment. James wrote, “What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? . . . Faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless” (James 2:14, 17).
God wants us to live without fear, to run with faith.
Increase your speed!
My Story
Conquering the dark, unknown morning while wearing running shoes frightened my husband more than I ever understood. Not that he feared the potential for hidden dangers in the shadows. But his fear of exchanging cozy, warm blankets for sweats and layered running shirts made our goal of running a race together a fight between newlywed devotion and a natural inclination to sleep in.
Running a 5K together topped our list of goals to complete within five years of marriage. I had brought quite a collection of race T-shirts into our new home, but Walter had yet to earn a single one, and I couldn’t wait to be there with him when we crossed that finish line together. Because I knew his feet hadn’t run more than a half mile in years, however, I also understood we had much training to do before the upcoming Jingle Bell Run two weeks before Thanksgiving.
I naturally pop out of bed, usually with a smile on my face, hours before I need to be anywhere. Running in the morning fills my energy tank for the day like nothing else does. Crisp air, the intermittent whooshing of passing cars, and the warming up of my legs as they loosen and move in the familiar pounding pattern—I love it. That time talking to God, often out loud, clears clutter out of my mind while my heart pumps faster and harder.
Despite becoming one with my husband through our wedding vows, I soon learned my running passion was not contagious. If we planned to cross the finish line together, I had work to do beyond willing my own feet to move: pep talks, encouraging words, picking his running clothes out of the dresser—everything short of tying his shoelaces for him. After all, he needed to make at least one choice to participate in his training schedule.
For over a month, I led my husband down our street and across the local university campus for morning “death marches,” as he so fondly refers to them now. For thirty minutes each morning, I became a cheerleader, an encourager, and a storyteller. Sometimes I forced myself to look straight ahead to avoid noticing the scowls he gave me, and other times I dodged grumpy words reprimanding me for being too cheerful so early on a frosty morning.
Training complete, we arrived at race day prepared to run 3.106 miles together. While laughing at some of the crazy costumes competitors in the annual contest wore, I rehearsed encouraging words and contemplated if I could possibly carry my husband across the finish line if necessary.
Mostly, I relished that we were doing it—my husband and I running a race together! Through our mutual sweat and pain, we were about to accomplish something together just as we planned.
The gun blasted and changed everything. My sweet non-runner honey almost left me behind from the start!
We raced past beautiful homes and down the local running trail. And then I saw the back of my husband’s navy blue running shirt as he pushed past me and closed in on the finish line. After a quick discussion about his intentions, I realized he really could do it. Maybe I hadn’t seen his best running face when he rolled out of bed at 5:00 a.m. to accompany me around the neighborhood. But he intended to show me now that the moment counted.
Crossing that finish line almost a minute behind my husband, I was never more happy to have been beaten by anyone. He had found his own motivation somewhere inside, and it didn’t depend on my cheery words.
And so we began our married life together wearing our Jingle Bell T-shirts with pride and having accomplished our goal of running a 5K together.
Angie
Think It Through
1. When have you seen an athlete or a team playing tentatively, with fear, playing not to lose instead of to win? What happened?
2. What keeps believers from picking up the pace in their Christian lives, from taking risks for Christ?
3. What are your biggest fears in living by faith?
4. What can you do to increase your trust in God, to rely more on his strength?
On Running
What are tips for imagery?
To get the most out of imagery, begin by finding the proper setting—a place where you won’t be interrupted or distracted. Be sure to have a positive focus during this experience. Stay relaxed, and with a sense of relaxed concentration, close your eyes and picture yourself running the race. Be sure to set realistic expectations, that is, don’t imagine yourself running as fast as the Olympic champion; focus on your strengths and performance. Make your image as vivid and controllable as possible, and do it in real time.
