i was running...

Recently, I was speaking to a woman at work about Lent. She challenged my thinking about the traditional observation of "giving something up." She told me that instead of taking something out of her life, she usually she likes to to add something to her life instead (i.e. more time in Bible reading or prayer). That left me with something to think about, wondering what approach, if any, I should take this year. To subtract or add? Or do nothing at all??

Well, I went for a run later that week and had a really cool experience. While I was out on this run, I had an epiphany, what some may call a spiritual insight. Then, later that week I went running again. Unbelievably, the same thing happened. So, as I was thinking about Lent, it made sense to choose to "add" this year instead of "subtract," and running was evidently my activity. Adding the practice of running just seemed to fit. It allows me time and space for discipline, quiet, and opportunities for me to hear the voice of God. Therefore, I have committed to adding in regular times of running to my week during these next 40 days. And during that process, I would love to share with you the observations I have along the way. I'll start with my first observation...

...

MUD. It's never our favorite thing (unless you are a mud-wrestler by trade or those who claim to be professional observers of this activity). It messes things up. Creates stains. Gets you dirty. Bogs you down. And it's exactly what I encountered on my run.

I was running along the sidewalks down the road from my house. It was a casual 2 mile run, one of the first back since the winter. As I was cruising along I noticed a port-a-potty in front of one of the houses. That should have been my first red light: CONSTRUCTION. Instead of sidetracking or changing routes, I trucked along, holding my breath, of course. Shortly after, I notice that there is indeed construction going on and as a result, there is a layer of mud covering the sidewalk. Upon first glance, it seems as if the mud is not much of an obstacle--just a thin coating on the otherwise dry surface. Mistake #2. (I should have been getting a clue at this point!) Instead, I proceed along in my oblivion, only to discover that as I run, I am getting deeper and deeper in mud. Oops. Not quite what I thought I was getting myself into. This little thin layer is actually a bit more substantial than I hoped and by the time I reach the middle, I have mud covering my lovely white running shoes. Fortunately, I slow down a little so that it is not also covering my entire backside. ;) Although I was a bit dirtier, I made it through that stretch and kept putting one foot in front of the other. As I went along in my frustrations (I could have easily diverted my trek to the road instead, or the grass at minimal) a thought came to mind. "That's what sin's like." What? "That mud is what sin is like." Hmm. I just stepped into sin? I thought it was something so small and easy to get through.

I was wrong.

The same thing happens to us in life. Sin is deceptive. It's not easily managed. It's actually not managed AT ALL. You can start out thinking it's oh-so-small and end up with it ruining all that's nice and clean. It may seem like it's only just a small layer. Yet, you don't discover that it's ankle deep until you've already stepped in. Before you know it, it's not satisfied with stopping there.

So, as small of an insight as it may seem, it gave me such a meaningful picture of the power of sin. And, it caused me to think twice about any running route that includes a port-a-potty and MUD.