Not so perfect run

In my eagerness to train, I decided to run yesterday. Swthrt had a meeting at their Alabang branch and she will be late in returning to Pasig. I brought Josiah home and went to Honda Cars Pasig where I planned to start my run. My route was from HCP to C5-Bagong Ilog flyover and back. I am quite familiar with the route since this was the course during my practice in preparation for the Men’s Health Miracle Run. I was all set to run at around 5:30pm. There were few but vital things, however, that I neglected to perform before the run. I defied the two most important rules before running… warm-up and stretching. There were also things that I did not consider before deciding to run on this route. One, it was rush hour and there were lots of vehicles on the road. Two, the temperature was relatively hot as compared to my morning runs. And lastly, the pollution level or the smoke emissions from the vehicles were high during this time of the day. All these make the route unfriendly for runners. Anyway, I proceeded with my run and after few hundred meters, I was already gasping for air (actually clean air). I also forgot to bring my bottled water from the car. When I reached the E.Rod Red Ribbon Bakeshop, I decided to cut short my run and took a U turn under the Ortigas flyover. I was tempted to ride the jeepney back to Honda since I brought with me some coins for contingency measures, he he he. My way in going back was even harder. I had short walk breaks especially during uphills. My ipod logged a total distance of 1.86km with a time of 22:02. My average pace was 11:48min/km. It was very slow than my average pace of 7.5 min/km. I think I’ll never do it again.

I was still thankful that God used my experience yesterday to another insights on running the spiritual race. Christians in their zealousness or eagerness to share the Gospel carelessly put themselves in an antagonistic situation. What I did yesterday was I exposed myself to conditions which allowed me to fail in my objective of doing a good run. The record showed that I ran way below my average pace. Sometimes, we exposed ourselves to temptations which often caused us failures. We thought we can change a person’s heart and beliefs if we will join him in what ever he does, even if he’s doing wrong. What is fearful about it is that in the end, we are the ones being changed, and we have the tendency to go back to our sinful nature. Some thought they could withstand any temptation. But reality tells us that men are weak and can easily give in to temptations.

Paul said , “I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. Romans 7:18-20.

To be victorious in our spiritual race God gave us a counselor, a coach, the Holy Spirit. Paul reminds us to always live by the spirit.

In his letter to the Galatians, Paul reminds us,
So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law. Gal.5:16-18

How about us? Do we allow ourselves to be exposed to temptations and think of ourselves as superhuman capable of overcoming it with our own power and determination? Let us keep in step with the Spirit because the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Let us trust and obey Him. God bless us all!