Running our OWN Race
My son asked me: “Is that an Oura ring you’re wearing?” I replied that it was. He said he saw his friend wearing one and wondered if it worked.
Intentionally, I run/walk/exercise as much as I can, when I can. But, there are days when “I’m a squatter!” I just sit as I write blogs, have devotional times, talk on the phone, send text messages, write a talk that I am about to give AND on all those days, I get little exercise.
At the advice of a friend who I saw wearing an Oura ring, I purchased one for myself. This blog isn’t a commercial. I bought the ring because I needed accountability. On those days that I get little exercise, my ring tells me (via an app on my phone) I need to get up and move around. It also monitors my sleep and what time I should go to bed for optimum sleep efficiency. And it monitors my heart rate and my blood oxygen.
I’m on purpose. I know the health benefits of staying active. I was a runner for many years, which really helped keep my goal weight intact, especially with this love of food that I have!
This is MY race and I’m running it. I have friends that regularly go to the gym, have fitness trainers, have their FitBit watches on to monitor their activity levels. I could quickly shift from focusing on “my race” – the one that’s marked for me, and start comparing myself to others.
When my eyes have not been on “my race”, I had some major falls and it took lots of intense therapies and chiropractic treatments to get healthy enough to get back in “my race”.
Among the basics for running (or even walking) is “keep your eyes on where you are going”, instead of getting distracted. The distractions can keep us from seeing the uneven pavement, the stones in our pathway, or puddles in the road – all of which can be that obstacle that sends us tumbling.
My sweet Mama taught me that. The older she became, the more focused she was on her steps. She had too many friends with broken hips, legs or arms that came as a result of carelessness – not focusing on “their race”. The remedy is “considering” as we run our races.
It’s the same principle as we run our “life races”. Hebrews 12:1-3 says “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, FIXING OUR EYES on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith . . . Consider Him who endured such opposition so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”
The cure to eliminating distractions, disappointments, weariness and from comparing ourselves to others is “considering” (aka focusing.) Fixing our eyes on Jesus, CONSIDERING Him and all He went through for us, keeps us pursuing God’s best for us and protects our minds from distractions.
It also reminds us that the journey we’re on is not about competition but completion. “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7)
I want to finish my race strong, and the best, most efficient, and care-free way to do that….is keeping my eyes on where I’m going — keeping my eyes AND thoughts on Who’s waiting on me at the Finish Line! I’m running to the Finish Line set just for me, and when I get there, my Lord WILL BE there waiting for me…..with arms open wide.