2010/Jun/17/Morning - Running The Course
Psalm 119:32 says, I will run the course of Your commandments, for you shall enlarge my heart. How can you do that today?
For the Salt Lake City Olympics, the Christian band SonicFlood released a song which has since become a mainstay in worship services, I Want To Know You. Some of its lines are inspired a New Testament passage (I do not recall which one), using the Olympic metaphor of "reaching for the highest goal, that I might receive the prize; pressing onward, pushing every hindrance aside, out of my way, 'cause I want to know You more". The verse from Psalms takes a similar angle on the spiritual journey, using the imagery of running a race. The last bit of Isaiah 40:31 also uses the metaphor: they [who wait upon the Lord] shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.
I think it is interesting to view one's spiritual journey as a race. Most time, particularly in the devotion I am reading, the emphasis is on walking slowly, or sitting in meditation. Today, though, there is a very different view of it. There are advantages to thinking of things through the sports lens. Races, in general, are challenging events. Meditation, on the other hand, is generally quite peaceful. It might be a more realistic view of the world to consider walking an upright life as a competition. The idea of having to overcome obstacles to reach the destination appeals to me as a metaphor.
As for how I can overcome obstacles on my journey, that brings to mind an e-mail I sent this morning. On Wednesdays, my Church is encouraging the congregation to fast and pray for each other. While I have pressing medical reasons against the usual food-type fasting, I was thinking of doing a media fast, which for me might be even more difficult. It will be an interesting challenge. Then again, what is the point of a race which is not?
Ecclesiastes 12:1
Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the difficult days come, and the years draw near when you say, "I have no pleasure in them"
The last chapter of Eccelsiastes begins as rather dim. It goes on after the first verse with a set of imagery alluding to old age, infirmity, and death. It ends at verse 12:13-14 on an ambiguously brighter note: Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man's all, for God will bring every work into judgement, including every secret thing, whether good or evil. While I appreciate the last two verses of the chapter more, the first one seems more applicable to the exploration of spiritual life as a race. It is a reminder that indeed there are hurdles to overcome. There will be days when "the pitcher is shattered at the fountain, or the wheel is broken at the well" (12:6b). There will be days when God's grace and blessing is waiting for us, but we cannot find the means to access them. It is a sombre, sobering thought. It must be acknowledged, though, so we can prepare our hearts for those trying days.
For the Salt Lake City Olympics, the Christian band SonicFlood released a song which has since become a mainstay in worship services, I Want To Know You. Some of its lines are inspired a New Testament passage (I do not recall which one), using the Olympic metaphor of "reaching for the highest goal, that I might receive the prize; pressing onward, pushing every hindrance aside, out of my way, 'cause I want to know You more". The verse from Psalms takes a similar angle on the spiritual journey, using the imagery of running a race. The last bit of Isaiah 40:31 also uses the metaphor: they [who wait upon the Lord] shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.
I think it is interesting to view one's spiritual journey as a race. Most time, particularly in the devotion I am reading, the emphasis is on walking slowly, or sitting in meditation. Today, though, there is a very different view of it. There are advantages to thinking of things through the sports lens. Races, in general, are challenging events. Meditation, on the other hand, is generally quite peaceful. It might be a more realistic view of the world to consider walking an upright life as a competition. The idea of having to overcome obstacles to reach the destination appeals to me as a metaphor.
As for how I can overcome obstacles on my journey, that brings to mind an e-mail I sent this morning. On Wednesdays, my Church is encouraging the congregation to fast and pray for each other. While I have pressing medical reasons against the usual food-type fasting, I was thinking of doing a media fast, which for me might be even more difficult. It will be an interesting challenge. Then again, what is the point of a race which is not?
Ecclesiastes 12:1
Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the difficult days come, and the years draw near when you say, "I have no pleasure in them"
The last chapter of Eccelsiastes begins as rather dim. It goes on after the first verse with a set of imagery alluding to old age, infirmity, and death. It ends at verse 12:13-14 on an ambiguously brighter note: Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man's all, for God will bring every work into judgement, including every secret thing, whether good or evil. While I appreciate the last two verses of the chapter more, the first one seems more applicable to the exploration of spiritual life as a race. It is a reminder that indeed there are hurdles to overcome. There will be days when "the pitcher is shattered at the fountain, or the wheel is broken at the well" (12:6b). There will be days when God's grace and blessing is waiting for us, but we cannot find the means to access them. It is a sombre, sobering thought. It must be acknowledged, though, so we can prepare our hearts for those trying days.