I love to run. But my passion for running begins to fade as the winter months start, ushering in the cold weather. Who wants to run in the cold, especially if the roads are icy? I can just see myself falling on a patch of black ice....I'm not even gonna attempt that one.
So the winter months leave me the option of running indoors if the weather is bad. Indoors means running on our treadmill. Now, I will say that we are blessed to have a treadmill....AND have a place to put it in our house.
However, me and Mr. Treadmill do not get along very well. Our relationship started off rocky as the first time I used it, I fell off of it. Yes, go ahead and laugh. Looking back I do admit that it was quite a funny situation. My feet just had an issue with the treadmill track moving, but the sides staying stationary. So as I am running with all my might, I shifted to the side and my foot landed on the non-moving part. That is not a good combination when you are running at a fast pace. End result....me on the floor in shock about what happened. Me despising the treadmill.
But despite my feelings for the treadmill, I still use it. Yes, I have gotten use to the idea of a moving track under my feet. I have forced myself to use the treadmill so that I can stay in shape...or at least attempt to...for running some more races in the spring and summer.
Does that mean I enjoy the treadmill now? NO WAY! I still don't like the thing. I still despise running on there and constantly fear another "land on the floor" situation. To me, treadmills are completely boring! I mean, I can run for 20 minutes and I'll be in the same place I started when I complete my run! Treadmills stay in the same place. Treadmills don't move forward. Treadmills keep you tied to the same path over and over. And over. And over.
Running outside is so much more freeing. I don't even realize how long I've been running outside because there is so much to look at. The scenery changes. Cars drive by. People I know honk as they go by. And the best part is that I actually GET SOMEWHERE when I run outside!
So as I've been forcing myself to run on this treadmill that I do so despise, I've started thinking about how this relates to our relationship with God. Yes, this is what I love to do...compare everyday life experiences to our relationship with God. It's amazing how many lessons one can learn!
How many times are we "Treadmill Christians"???? What I mean by that is that we walk the same path over and over. And over. And over. We refuse to go deeper. We don't move forward.
It can get so comfortable on the treadmill. There's no threats of weather or getting caught in the rain or a thunderstorm. There's no concern of being away from home. Treadmills tie you down to one location.
Treadmill Christianity happens when we find a spot we are comfortable in and we STAY there instead of moving forward. Often the allure of the comfortable makes us want to remain. We seem to be doing great. We're getting some exercise. At least we're moving...isn't that good?
Did you know you can be moving but still not growing?
You might be doing things for God, but if you are stuck in the same rut...are you really growing? God's design for our relationship with Him is not that we spin our wheels and stay in the same place in our walk with Him. He wants us to continually grow! He wants us to MOVE FORWARD!!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment