A Fool for Christ

Why would someone who hates running commit to a marathon?

Newport Marathon 2019

So, THIS is happening ... Five months from yesterday, I'll be running in the Newport Marathon. Have I suddenly discovered my inner love of running? That would be a resounding NO! Am I looking forward to it? If by "looking forward to it" you mean "will be relieved when it's over" then sure! So why am I doing it then?

Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. ~ 2 Corinthians 12:9

First and foremost, I believe God's heart of restoration doesn't just take broken things and make them less broken ... just able to get by. I believe in a God who extravagantly loves and extravagantly restores - making things even better than they were before!

Even at my leanest, I imagine that the outward appearance of my body will still show signs of damage that has been caused by years of being obese. In other words, even with abs that show, the skin on my belly is likely to look like a Shar Pei puppy.

However, my actual health and fitness has never been better. I have more energy and stamina than I did in high school ... and I've always been high energy even as a fat person.

Rather than just seek God to restore me and make me generally fit "for a man of my years," I want to fully leap into what He has for me - which I believe is exceptional health and vitality for a person of any age. I want others to SEE and KNOW that He has designed us for health and wholeness and that He is still active in making that happen when we do our part to remove hindrances to our health.

Few things would demonstrate that better than going from morbidly obese to completing a marathon inside of 2 years. Whether I'm able to run as fast as I do on the treadmill or wind up limping across the finish line, I'm going to give it my all and give Him any and all glory.

My other reason for doing this is to purposely put myself in a position of discomfort. YEP, you read that right. One thing I've learned over the past several years - in relationships, in professional challenges, in physical development, etc... is that embracing discomfort and pushing through develops strength and resilience. Like fasting breaks the power of food addictions, physical discomfort from training breaks the power of lethargy and inaction.

So, while I may not like the thought of running 26.2 miles, I am looking forward to knowing that I can do it ... and more importantly to seeing how God will use it to encourage and restore others.

As always, your prayers - for injury free training and for maximum impact for Christ in others' lives - is GREATLY appreciated!