Canyons - Run for LIFE 2013 Devotion #2

Less than three weeks until the Pinhoti 100.  The past two weeks I have been dealing with some leg pain that has made training difficult.  In fact, I have missed several days of training in an attempt to rest and recover.  The pain started after I had the unique opportunity to run a double-crossing of the Grand Canyon, called the Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim (R2R2R) in late September.  The experience was amazing, but while I was able to finish the journey it is clear I did not walk away without harm.

The R2R2R begins on the South Rim (elevation 7,000+ feet) of the Grand Canyon.  Andon Briggs and I began by descending 4,400 feet on the South Kaibab Trail 7 miles to the Colorado River at the base of the Grand Canyon.  We crossed a bridge over the river and even met a mule train leading travelers out of the canyon floor. 

 

 

From there, the North Kaibab Trail snaked through and up the canyon floor for roughly 8 miles before climbing over 5,400 in 6 miles up and out of the canyon floor to the North Rim (elevation 8,000+).  We then turned around and went back the other way back to the South Rim via the Bright Angel Trail.  The total distance was 46 miles with a ton of climbing and descent.  A perfect training run for the upcoming Pinhoti 100.

The run itself was an amazing, tough and beautiful experience.  Our pace was slow due slightly to the tough terrain, but mainly because we were in awe of our surroundings.  Picture opportunities were everywhere, so we indulged. 

I had briefly visited the South Rim of the Grand Canyon when I was a teenager, but viewing the Canyon from various vantage points was breathtaking.  From sunrise in the canyon to after sundown when the full moon was reflecting off the canyon walls, each vista and part of the day provided evidence of the creativity of our creator. 

The high temperature at the south rim was 74 degrees…perfect weather.  The high at the north rim was even a bit cooler.  At the start the temperature was around 50 degrees.  However, the high on the canyon floor was in the upper 90’s, and the heat index was well over 100.  With very little cloud cover, the canyon floor felt like an oven.

Running downhill was easy, but, not surprisingly, the toughest parts of the run were the climb to the North Rim at the halfway point of the run and the climb to the South Rim to end the journey.  The climbs began in the heat of the sun exposed canyon floor and proceeded relentlessly up several thousand feet in a short time span.  These climbs were also quite exposed, with one edge of the trail hugging a canyon wall and the other edge falling hundreds/thousands of feet straight down.  The picture below shows an example of this…the trail is there if you look closely.

Reaching the top in both cases brought a sense of relief and accomplishment.  To physically look back from the top of the rim at the canyon below and think about how far we had come was encouraging and rewarding.  It made the cool temperatures and rest all the more enjoyable.

To me this mirrors struggles in my own Christian walk with temptation and sin.  Giving in to temptation and repeatedly sinning is easy, similar to the descents in the canyon.  In the canyon it was easy to ignore the danger of exposed cliffs and rising heat because running downhill was effortless, just as in our spiritual lives it is easy to ignore sin and separation from God because the sin feels good in the moment.  However, before long, we realize the damage that has been done, not just to ourselves but to those around us.  We are far removed from God and have only our own actions and decisions to blame.  In a short period of time we find ourselves thousands of feet into a canyon, with the heat on full blast, dehydrated, looking up at the canyon walls wondering how will I ever get back up and out of this.

The good news is that God provides us a way out of temptation so that we can avoid the descent to the canyon floor entirely.  Sure, with God’s help we can climb back up, but the climb back up is much tougher than the way down.  Plus, just as I am dealing with aches and pains after the run, we are left with scars from our own descents into the canyon of sin.  Many times we leave scars on the ones we love most.  God’s desire is for us to stay on top, finding comfort, fulfillment and satisfaction in our relationship with Him.  When we are tempted, and we all will be tempted, we can find strength in Him to resist and turn from the temptation to avoid sin.   You can resist.  You can fight.

LIFE Ministries works directly with couples who are in the depths of their own canyon.  The ministry is committed to helping hurting couples who are facing crisis or potential divorce. LIFE Ministries also walks with couples who need a "tune-up" and want to take their relationship with God and one another to a deeper level…to avoid the canyons entirely.  Please be in prayer for the ministry and I ask that you consider supporting LIFE Ministries financially through the Run for LIFE effort.  Your contributions allow the ministry to continue to work with couples to climb out of the canyons and later look back from the top to see how far they have come and the beauty of what lies ahead.  To contribute or for more information please visit www.runforlifenow.com

1 Corinthians 10:13 – No temptation has seized you except what is common to man.  And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.  But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. 

Wide Awake - Run for LIFE 2013 Devotion #1

Less than four weeks from the start of the Pinhoti 100!  Training has gone quite well, and other than a few minor aches and pains I'm feeling good.  Some of you have asked about the Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim run last month.  Hopefully I'll get some pictures on here soon enough.

Last year I ran the Pinhoti 100 to raise funds for LIFE Ministries, a local ministry here in Birmingham that is committed to helping individuals and couples in their walks with Christ.  I am doing the same this year, along with a team of others running various races this fall.  Run for LIFE Team Members are: Will Harris, Lisa Brush, David and Miles Brush, Blair Canale, Randy & Melody Hemphill, Michael & Mandy Jeffcoat, Robert & Sasha Johns, Dana Pate, and Andrew Varvoutis. See their bios or donate at www.runforlifenow.com.

Similar to last year, each week leading up to the race, I am writing a devotion that brings spiritual application from the world of running and life. This week's devotion is below.

Please consider sponsoring me or any of the other team members by visiting www.runforlifenow.com.

Thank you for supporting an amazing ministry!

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October 8, 2013 – Wide Awake by Chris Dollar

“Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead.  Then Christ will shine on you.” Ephesians 5:14

Having a full-time job, a wife and kids, most of my training runs begin early in the morning.  I’ve found this to be the best way for me to get in my training while having the least impact on my family.  While I have grown somewhat accustomed to the middle of the night/early morning pre-dawn runs, I’m not sure I can ever get fully used to it, and most days it remains extremely tough to roll out of bed when that alarm clock rings. 

My routine at that point is simple enough.  Begin stretching in complete darkness, hoping this will somehow awaken my body to the point where it is ready to make it a few steps downstairs to continue stretching with the lights on.  I also have a small bite to eat before beginning the miles for that day, usually 30 minutes or so after the alarm clock rings. 

Despite the 30 minutes, stretching, food, water and movement, my first few miles are usually the worst of my run.  It takes me a while to get going.  As the training load increases for a big race like the Pinhoti 100, the time it takes me to warm-up and feel functional in the morning gets longer and longer.  There are many times when it feels like I’m sleep-running, just drifting along in the dark, knowing that I’m awake, but still part of me wondering if it is a dream. 

I never know when it will finally click on a particular day, but it inevitably does.  Could be after just 15 minutes and sometimes it has been two hours, but at some point my body and mind click into gear, I feel like myself, and the miles suddenly seem easy.  I can’t explain why the transformation happens when it does, but it is always a great feeling.

I hate to admit it, but many times my life feels like the beginning of these runs.  Like I’m in some strange sleepwalking (or running) state.  I know things are happening all around me, but I have this sense that all is not as it should be.  I just don’t feel like myself.  John Ortberg describes it as a “state of dis-appointment”, meaning that we remove God from the central, appointed role He desires to play in our life and have instead replaced him with ourselves.  I know I am guilty of this.  I replace God with me…my flawed worldly desires, aspirations, idols and plans.  The funny part is that God knows me better than I know myself, so truly turning my life and desires over to Him would allow me to truly experience life to the fullest through God.  After all, if God had a plan for me from the beginning, would it not make sense to allow Him to work that plan in me?

I know this to be true, so why is it so hard to “Take the Leap” and fully trust in God?  Being alive in Christ and leading a life full of desire, hope and joy sounds far better than anything I have tried to create for myself.  I need this full transformation, but instead of taking the leap I keep my feet firmly planted on the less desirable life I’ve created for myself.  I want to feel like the miles when I’m wide awake and all is clicking that is possible through Christ, rather than the dreary state that I have created for myself.  In Christ I find freedom and power and joy.  True spiritual growth produces this transformation, and the good news is that it is possible for us all to experience it through the power of God. 

 

"Now, with God’s help, I shall become myself.”  -Soren Kierkegaard