Running the Ultra

He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do Justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God? 
Micah 6:8

I had watched Matt run his first Ultra Marathon, 55 kilometers in one day. He had run several marathons before and I was surprised by his response to my question, ‘so what was the biggest surprise running the Ultra?’

‘Running so slowly, stopping and starting again while we waited for the ones that lagged behind’, he replied. You see the goal of the Ultra is to complete the race together and not just run your own race.

I couldn’t help but compare that to our Christian walk. We talk about running the race and finishing well, but sometimes we forget that it really isn’t about running our fastest or getting there in the shortest amount of time. Instead it’s about running in such a way that we arrive at the finish line having taken along the most number of people with us.

Is my personal walk with God characterized by recognizing that I am not running alone? In God’s eyes He sees Christ’s finished work on the cross, not my good deeds. Do I stop to show kindness to those that are struggling? Am I humble about my gifts and abilities and encourage those around me to use theirs as well? Do I watch to see who needs me to slow down and run a while beside them to keep them on track?

At the end of the race the entire group was approaching the finish line when I captured this on the camera:

 Kai was waiting to give his Dad a 'high five'.....

 but instead Matt grabbed his hand and asked him to come run alongside of him.....

Halle didn't need to be persuaded and joined in too,

and together the three of them crossed the finish line!

Just like it should be!