“Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:1-2).
I despise cold weather. Still, there was a time when I was up to the challenge of running 5K’s in the dead of winter. In January 2010, I ran Anne Patrick’s “Wonderful Days of Winter!” in Marietta. Except it wasn’t so wonderful, actually. I think it was 3 degrees that morning. My car door was frozen shut when I left the house that morning. But Anne’s soup and chili helped thaw us out afterwards, though. Bless her.
So I seldom run from November to April. And, boy, do I slap on the weight in my off season. Running with “Christmas Chub” has always been an issue for me. The more I weigh, the slower I go, and the more my bones hurt – feet, ankles, knees, hips. My breathing gets labored a quarter mile into the course. Not good. And not pleasant.
To improve my times, effort, and satisfaction, here’s my strategy: the flub and chub have gotta go!
So I watch what I eat. Breads and sugar are my worst enemies. And volume. If I’m going to lose weight, I have to cut back on how MUCH I eat. It’s going back for “seconds” or “thirds” on yummy dishes or desserts that torpedo me every time. My wife says “stop eating when you’re full!” But growing up, my mom drilled in us that we had to “clean our plates,” and that adage is still in my head today. In the movie “Christmas Story” Ralphie’s little brother Randy refused to eat saying “Meatloaf, smeatloaf, double-beetloaf. I hate meatloaf,” to which his mom replied, “Starving people would be happy to have that.” So she got Randy to eat like a piggy.
Yep. I grew up in that generation. Clean your plate, no matter if you’re full.
And I ramp up my steps. In the off season I sit around a lot. But to burn the fat off, I keep an eye on my phone’s step counter. “Miles = smiles.” I do LOTS of walking and running to peel off the extra weight.
And of course, you see the parallel to Christian living. The writer of Hebrews encourages us,
“let us lay aside every encumbrance and the sin that so easily entangles us.”
Being deliberate about growing in Christian maturity requires a strategy. It doesn’t just fall from heaven. It requires identifying your downfalls and experiencing God’s salvation and power over them! The Apostle Paul writes to Timothy, “Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come” (1 Timothy 4:8 NLT).
Is it easy? Heck no! The Scripture says sin “easily entangles us” – quite like kudzu flourish in the hot summer sun. So lay aside anything in your behavior or attitude that the Scriptures identify as sin to grow in the Christian life. The alternative is dragging destructive attitudes and behaviors down the road in life.
And I mean, who wants to run a 5K with ankle weights?