a parable of a trail runner.
In January I felt the Spirit whisper to me that I needed to be running more. And this summer I made sure I hit the mountain trails around my house at least once a week. Trail “running” seems optimistic; trail jogging/walking seems more honest. But while on the trail last week, the Lord started teaching me about how the time on the trail connected with a spiritual life with Him.
Once there was a girl in the mountains, a place she went for quiet, but also to feel alive. Air filling her lungs. Blood pumping through her heart. Her body working, sweating, beautiful and alive.
The trail that day began at the top of a gradual hill. She set her interval timer to guide her, prompting her when to sprint and when to jog, and began down the tree covered path. The further along she went down the hill, the faster she felt she could run. “I am stronger than I thought!” she smiled to herself. “Why only sprint for one minute? I feel like I can handle at least double that!” So she picked up her pace, sprinted down the hill feeling quite pleased with her effort as trees seemed to soar past her.
At the end of the path she turned around to run her way back up the trail. But immediately something changed. Her lungs were burning quicker, her pace was decreasing with each step, and the interval timer seemed to be demanding too much sprinting and not enough walking. “I am the worst!” she huffed as the timer beeped signaling another long sprint up the hill. “I can’t sprint nearly as much as I am supposed to now! I am not as strong as I thought.” The seconds keep ticking by in a flash and she kept trying to keep pace. But eventually resorted to walking up back up the hill feeling dejected; her best effort was not even close to enough to keep pace with the timer. What a horrible run.
How often are we like this in our lives as disciples of Christ? We have seasons of downhill sprints where everything is going as expected and well within our comfort zones. We feel confident and strong, even willing and able to put in more work than the expectations we set for ourselves. Our efforts create a sense of worth in us; we feel proud and excited to keep going.
But then something shifts; the downward slope becomes an uphill climb. Circumstances in our lives change. New opportunities appear, some painful and some unexpected. And suddenly the run of life is no longer fun. Even the smallest effort causes our legs to burn; we can’t keep pace with our previous expectations. Our previous pace is no longer manageable; with each beep of the timer, we feel more and more behind, overwhelmed, and frustrated.
Our physical lives in this parable can show us something vital to remember about our spiritual lives. When we want the physical body to increase in endurance, strength, or skill in a specific task it takes months, if not years, of practice. Muscle is not built in one workout; endurance is not built in one run. Our physical bodies require continual effort and practice to become stronger and more able to endure increased levels of running. The trail running solution in this story is not to just get over the pain and keep running faster uphill; that is tempting injury, not to mention discouragement from ever trying something like this again. It is instead to adjust the pace for a season, reset the timer, and lower the speed at which we climb so that our bodies are still working but at a more manageable pace.
Spiritually, our “hill climbing seasons” are no different. The Lord does not expect us to keep a sprinting pace throughout our entire lives. He himself had seasons of life that were for learning, growing, and adjusting to new opportunities, responsibilities, and seasons of life (Luke 2:52). His hope for us is one of desire and effort. Are we willing to follow Him, even if the climb is uncomfortable and uphill? And are we willing to trust and learn from Him how to set a good pace and take it one step at a time?
The purpose of this life is not perfection; it’s salvation. And salvation is a journey towards becoming like Jesus Christ through His atoning power. There is no race you win. There is no pace time you beat. There is no time limit for determining whether you are on schedule. As long you are moving with Christ by your side and allowing Him to teach you what it means to be a member of His Father’s eternal Family, then the path, uphill and downhill, is doing its job. More time on the path means more time to learn from and be lifted by Christ. And ultimately the more of Him we have, the further we climb because He is all of the power and strength in us (Philippians 4:13). He is the bread of life from which we are fed (John 6:35). The pure water from which we drink (1 Nephi 11:25). The breath in our lungs, the blood coursing through our veins (Genesis 2:7, Moses 6:60). It’s all Him. So to get up that hill? Strengthen your bond with Him. Because “they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31).
