James 4:13&14 says, “Go to now, ye that say, To day or tomorrow we will go unto such a city, and continue there a year, and buy, and sell, and get gain:
“Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is a vapour that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.”
It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything on my blog. I put it off for good reason. I’ve had a lot on my mind lately. I had to back off on my running schedule due to a respiratory infection. I just started running again last week, and it feels incredible to be back.
There’s so much more that has been on my mind as well. The recent sudden death of a close college friend has sent my mind reeling. I read in her obituary about the many children and young people that she was able to reach for God whether it was through substitute teaching, tutoring, or through her music and drama ministry at her church.
Exercise is a wonderful and necessary thing, because it helps us to stay healthy so that we can live longer. I am currently in my fifties. My dad passed away when he was seventy-six. My grandpa passed away when he was in his eighties. At the most, I may have another twenty to thirty years left. We tend to think that thirty years is a long time, but it’s not. The older I get, the faster the years go by. Exercising and eating right in order to stay healthy is great, but why do we want to live longer? Is it just so that we can enjoy our retirement, cruise around the world, or relax and enjoy the view at the beach or in the mountains? Please don’t misunderstand; all of those are wonderful things, and we should be able to enjoy things like that from time to time. However, if the purpose of our lives is only for self-service, what’s the real point?
My heart’s desire is not to do what I do for myself; my desire is to keep running, strength training, and eating healthy so that I can be a better servant to my family, coworkers, friends, neighbors, and to God. When I exercise, I like to do it with family and friends so that I can use that time to be a witness and an encouragement to them.
My aunt passed away this week. She never had any children of her own, but she loved all of her nieces and nephews like we were her own children. She lived every day of her life loving and serving other people. That’s what this journey of life is all about. When I reach the end of my journey, I don’t want to look back on my life with disappointment. I want to look back and know that I did the best I could to love others and to point them to Christ. Life here on earth is short compared to eternity. What are you doing with the time God has given you? Are you only using it for yourself, or are you doing what you can to make a difference in someone else’s life?
Until next time . . . let’s keep on running!
This Race Called Life 