Accomplishment!!

Today I went running with my roommate Kathy. I am proud to say that we ran over 2 miles, on the road, and half of the time against the wind. I still have almost two months until my first 5k and I know without a doubt I will be able to finish the race with confidence.

In running I have begun to understand more of what Paul wrote to the Philippians.

"What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ - the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so somehow, to attain to the Resurrection from the dead.

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained.

Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you. For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who , by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body."

Philippians 3:7-21

While I am out there on the road there are points where I just want to stop and give up but I know that even though at that moment I may not see the end, if I continue to press on I will accomplish what I set out to do. And the sense of joy and accomplishment that is felt when I have reached the end goal is amazing. It is also amazing how when you can see the end you magically find some extra stored up energy to press even harder and you cross the finish line with confidence not weariness.

Just to think that the pride and accomplishment I feel now for running my two miles is nothing compared to the day when I stand before Christ and He greets me and sings over me for he too is rejoicing in all the glory my life has brought Him. There are points in this life where I think it would easier to just forget it all, to stop and walk instead of running toward Him. Yet at the same time I can see the end, I can see Christ longing for me to spend eternity with Him, and so I press on. I run through the wilderness, the darkness, the pain, because I know that in the end that it will all fall away and all that will be left is the glorious body that God so longs to give me.