Who We Run Alongside Matters

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Tuesdays Matter

Tuesdays are strange days. For some reason they were picked as the day America votes. We choose everything from our local school board to our mayor. We elect our county officials, state representatives, and every four years our president. Tuesdays matter.

The District Meet

They matter in smaller but significant ways, too. Tuesday of this week was the day of the cross-country district meet in our area. Middle and high school boys and girls who had trained all season got up even earlier than usual, drove to a faraway site, and ran a race that would determine whether they would make it to regionals. As in all sports, regionals set the stage for who gets to the state meet.

A Runner’s Return

There was one boy, a 16-year-old, who loves to run. When he discovered there was a sport dedicated entirely to running, he was all in. He was too young to join the team, but he committed to join as soon as he was old enough.

His team has been through coaching changes. The cross-country team lost its coach a couple of seasons ago when he left to take a teaching job elsewhere. Two different coaches in two years have affected the team and the individuals. This young man has had his own struggles as well. Serious surgery at the beginning of last season kept him from participating, but patience and endurance put him on the start line this year.

This Tuesday, they were set to run districts. Would his time be good enough to qualify for regionals? He hoped so. His goal was a new personal record. His season had been about getting back to running after missing an entire year because of open-heart surgery. Just being back out there was a victory, but he had a goal.

The Start Goes Wrong

The team was told they had five minutes before the race started. They rushed to the line just in time. The gun fired, and the race began. There was confusion among runners and parents. The race started earlier than anticipated. Still, everyone found a spot on the course to cheer.

Soon, word filtered down. This was the wrong race. This was the race for the 4A schools, and they were supposed to run with the 1A schools. That race was to start twenty minutes later. It was a change announced to coaches in a meeting the boys’ coach missed.

Running Alone

We watched the runners pass in groups. In the back third came our runner. Alone, running steadily. Everyone cheered and encouraged every runner as they passed.

He crossed the finish line without the time he had hoped for, short of the goal he had set. Before he learned of the mix-up, he sensed something was wrong. He had never run alone before. There were always runners near him, in front of him, or immediately behind him.

The Power of the Pack

When you race, the runners close by help. If you are with a group at your pace, you get drafting, motivation, and rhythm. The wrong group can hurt you. If the pace is beyond your level, trying to keep up can push you past your limits. The psychological strain can cause a blowout, ending in mental and emotional defeat.

It matters who we run with. We want to be pushed and encouraged, not defeated. We should surround ourselves with people who will help us in our race.

Who Runs With You?

The same principle applies to our lives. Who have we chosen to run with us? Have we put ourselves in the right race? Is the drain of trying to achieve an image wearing us out? What exactly is it that we are pursuing? There is a point where we have to stop and look around at who or what is pushing us, driving us. Then decide if it truly lines up with the race that God has set before us.

Who runs beside you? Who encourages you? Who are you running behind? Check over your shoulder. Who is following you?

He Will Be Okay

By the way, the kid is okay. He struggled at first, as any of us would. But if life has taught him anything in the past year, it is that God has a greater purpose for him. He will learn from this, grow, and become a better man for it. And he will not stop running.

 Therefore let us also, seeing we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, lay aside every weight, and the sin which [b]doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising shame, and hath sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.   Hebrews 12:1, 2