Crazy Runner

“He’s so silly”, as my 2 year old Grace would say.  “That guy is so silly.”  Yesterday morning I was on my way to guys Bible Study and I decided to stop and pick up some donuts and chocolate milk.  Now let me give you a time stamp for when this was all happening at.  This was at the early hour of 5:55.  IN THE MORNING!  Seriously folks…  what is wrong with me?  Who plans a Bible study that early?  Anyway, as I am pulling out of Dunkin Donuts, I see this guy in spandex and a coat tricked out with reflective tape running towards me.  Now, at this hour in the morning my mind immediately thought, there must be a fire somewhere and he is running to get help.  I mean this guy wouldn’t possibly be running for exercise out in the mind numbing, bone chilling, pet debilitating cold.  (Yes, It was that cold!)  But sure enough, I realized that an outfit like that could only mean one thing.  

HE’S CRAZY.

Sure enough I ended up being right.

Or at least so I thought.  

In my mind…  “What is wrong with this guy?  Why in the world would he be running this early in the morning.  There must be something seriously wrong with this guy!  He’s crazy.”

But then I noticed something else as I loosened my seat belt…  And drove off with a dozen donuts in my car.  (Tubby)

He was tall and skinny.

Hmm… His discipline was mildly inspiring.  Mostly still crazy in my mind, but inspiring.  

It wasn’t long after this that I began to think about how this is representative of my spiritual life.  I will so often say I want to be a spiritual giant like my Dad, or I want to know God’s word like the back of my hand.  Yet, I am not always willing to go “crazy” in order to attain that goal.  Shame on me!  “Stay round peter, don’t run… It’s too cold.”  That’s what my mind says.  My flesh says, “your good enough, don’t read today.   You can do it on your own, you don’t need God.”  

BOGUS!  I am not good enough, I need to read more!  I can’t do it on my own.  I need God in everything I do.  It’s high time I don some spandex, and hit the pavement in the bitter cold at 5:55 AM.  Or at least spiritually speaking.  And, maybe I’ll trade the spandex for jeans…  

Let’s go people.  What do you think?  Crazy?  You, me, that guy?  It’s time to become uncomfortable with the way we are, and move towards who God wants us to be!  Time to strive.  Time to long for more.  Time to step up to the plate and man up…

~Peter