Treadmills

 Travel was a pretty significant aspect of my job this past year working with the Tennessee Department of Education. Throughout my journeys one thing that I didn't want to slack on was my exercise regimen, so it was important to me whether the hotel I was going to be staying in had an exercise room. Running and walking have always been included in my daily exercise schedule, so treadmills are a must for any indoor exercise area. The neat thing about treadmills is how they have changed over the years in an attempt to provide a more realistic, lifelike experience in a stationary indoor setting. 

 

Regardless of how "life-like" a treadmill feels it will never replace the benefits of running or even walking out in nature. Hills and valleys provide real cardio challenges that build endurance and resilience as we conquer the summit and overcome the depth of the valley. Having a path or course to follow makes our running purposeful and allows us to pace ourselves as we progress and build stamina. Potholes, cracks, and other obstacles create the potential for injuries, but they also keep us alert and focused on what lies ahead. Overcoming those obstacles makes us a better runner, in life overcoming the obstacles we encounter has that same positive impact on our spiritual fitness. 

 

In a number of scriptural instances, running "life's race" is referenced. Hebrews 12:1 says, "And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us”, and Paul shares this encouraging message in I Corinthians 9:24-27 "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize "Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize." Once again, the Apostle Paul references running in his letters to his protege Timothy, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." I just don't think Paul would have ever been a treadmill kind of guy. Fighting the good fight, overcoming adversity, persevering through when it might feel like it would be easier to just quit and lay down, these are the areas we grow in as we run life's race. Standing still isn't an option, we grow as we endure, we produce character as we endure and overcome, and as our character is strengthened, our hope is fortified. And God's good news is this, hope does not fail us in life (See Romans 5:3-5).

 

Exercising on a treadmill is of course an option when it comes to physical fitness, but in life running through the ups and downs that we face each day is where we learn to lean in on God and allow Him to build our endurance through faith in Him. Run the course that God has prepared for you, the benefits are eternal!

 

Coach Carter