Here is the next round of marathon observations…
- Bubbles – Did I mention that bubbles on a marathon course are a really dumb idea? I digress…
- Running is a matter of life & death – Now, I’m not meaning to over-dramatize my own personal hobby, but there are some wonderful (and awful) correlations to real life here. I walked with a woman to the marathon start that had a sign on her back that said, “Baby on board!” I thought it was cute until I read the rest of the sign that said she was 39 weeks pregnant! I mean, my wife is awesome. She ran her first marathon when 6 weeks pregnant with Anna (now 11). This woman seemed a bit “extreme” even to those of us crazy enough to abuse our bodies this way. Sure enough, hours after the marathon she gave birth. You can read more HERE. On the other end of the spectrum, a very healthy, athletic 35 year old husband and father of 2 collapsed and died just before the finish. This sobering story is HERE. Life & death. See, we all know that life is no sprint. We know that Christianity is not about starting well, rather running the course and finishing well. Along the way we will laugh about life and grieve over (seemingly untimely) deaths. Either way, there are no shortcuts and we must run so as not to be disqualified. More HERE.
24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. 25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26 So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. 27 But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.
1 Corinthians 9:24-27
Grounded 