This summer I decided to add to my exercise regiment. I thought I was ready to become a runner. I have never liked running. I quit football in Jr Hi because I had to run on hot August days. I joined the Navy, in part, because the Army runs alot (or so I thought). For whatever reason, it seemed liked a good idea at the time. So a month ago I found a training ap for my smart phone (if it were really a smart phone it would have argued with me, but that is a different story) and a partner and started running. And until this weekend I was enjoying myself. I felt good about the progress we were making. I bought better running shoes and a brace for the knee I hurt four or five years ago. I was becoming a runner.
Then came this weekend. I am not sure what I did that was so different. Maybe it was just the accumulation of a month, but my 'good' knee started hurting on Friday, after a brisk walk. Saturday is was really sore, and Sunday I got a stool for the stage, just in case. But after lunch and with some chiding by my running buddy, it was feeling better so off we set for the Huff & Puff. All was good for the five minutes of warmup. Forty-five seconds (not minutes) into our first run interval, pain came. Big pain, I can bearly get back to the car pain, I cannot straighten my leg pain. Go home with ice and a few tears pain.
Monday I was no better so I went the the doctor (that should tell you the pain level right there). He pushed and pulled, tapped it with a small hammer. Then off to xray for some pictures. The pre-diagnosis was probably a tear of the meniscus. (I have been there and heard that story before.) Fortunately, the diagnosis was better. No tear, but also little to no cartilage in the knee. Bone spurs and bone bruises and cortizone shots were the words used. Or quit running.
Over five years ago I set out to get healthy. I ate less food and got more exercise. I am still on that journey and need to finish it. Along the way I forgot something. I didn't set out to be a runner, I set out to be healthier. I confess I was disappointed to hear him say I could not run my 5K which was my goal. But it was the wrong goal. A 5k was not going to make me healthier, it was going to hurt me. Others can run, dare I say need to run. But I cannot. I can and will still bike, do step aerobics, and kettlebells. But I won't run.
All of this reminded me that I have set out on a holiness journey. I want to be closer to God, I want to be more like Him, I want to be holy. But I need to keep one thing in mind, holiness is the goal. Sometimes we lose our focus for our spiritual goals and need to adjust our journey. And sometimes we get so distracted that we need someone to say to us, "STOP!" That is the wrong way. We get lost along the way. Maybe we decide our goal is to memorize scripture, or read through the Bible in a short time, or become known a 'prayer warrior.' Those are all good things, and some among us need to be those things. But if they become the new goal we are off the track. I cannot say I got off track on my holiness journey (and it is easy to do when the enemy is trying hard to derail me), but it is once again my goal and target. "Be holy, even as God is holy."
