I was running a race this morning. When I'm running my mind drifts. I put my legs into autopilot and let them do their thing and I do my one. Usually my mind drifts to God. There are many places in the New Testament that compare running to the Christian walk. Over the 15+ years I've been running, I've grown to appreciate these alliterations more and more. Personally I think those that run marathons understand the statement "the patient endurance of the saints" much more than those who have never run a marathon, but I'm probably biased. This morning however a new alliteration came to mind.
About 6 months ago I got something for training and racing that I'd always wanted, a Garmin Forerunner GPS watch. This watch is pretty cool, it does all the things you'd expect from a GPS, but it also lets you set a pace and have a "virtual" training partner. As you're running it tells you how far ahead/behind in time and in distance you are from your partner. I've really grown to love and enjoy that feature. Now back to the alliteration.
It came pretty early in the run, this normally doesn't happen. Just past mile 1 I got the thought, "running is like the Christian life..." This time the reason is, just like in running, the only person you are racing against is yourself and the only thing you're accountable is to your time. Christianity is no different. In my walk with God the only person I can compare myself to is me and the only one I'm accountable to in the end is God.
