This has been a season of both ridiculously intense stress and intensely deep growth. Several things have been redefined for me. One of these is the nature of endurance. Until I damaged my knees, I was a distance runner. I preferred running on a circular track. Because I didn’t have to worry about road hazards, I could focus my attention completely on my breath and let my mind and soul take flight. As often as not, my soul would find itself nestled in the arms of my loving Father pouring out my heart to Him. I would run until all the distractions, demands, and worries of life fell away and all that was left was peace.
Running was a joy-filled encounter with the Jehovah Shalom. It was soulfully cathartic! In many ways distance running is a picture of endurance. Unlike sprinting, which relies on bursts of intense speed over short distances, distance running is about steady continuous movement and what it takes to sustain that movement, ideally without killing the runner. This is the heart of endurance; doing what it takes to keep moving forward without being destroyed in the process. Centering on, resting in, and communing with God is the foundation of that endurance process.
We are a world of sprinters these days. Like cockroaches with ADHD, we sprint in darkness from one thing to the next without ceasing, never seeing or experiencing beauty. As a result, diagnoses of PTSD and clinical burn out syndrome are accelerating at an alarming rate. Between the onslaught of personal and global trauma, too many of us find ourselves in a never-ending battle of trying simply to endure one thing after another. We subsist on a diet of distraction. This is slowly starving our souls to death. As an endurance strategy, sprinting isn’t cutting it. We must find ways to endure without losing everything that makes life worth living in the process. But how?!?
Jesus and the disciples were at the home of Simon the leper. A woman came in and anointed Jesus with a very expensive perfume. Ignoring the loving intimacy of this act of worship, the disciples argue that the perfume should have been sold and the proceeds used for the poor. Jesus’ response is somewhat jarring. “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a good thing for me. For you will always have the poor with you; but you will not always have me (Matt 26:10-11).”
In reading this challenging passage, one could be tempted to interpret Jesus’ response as callus and uncaring towards the plight of the poor. I believe this is a gross misinterpretation of Jesus’ words. Rather I believe Jesus is alerting us to the difference between the urgent and the important. This is a critical distinction when it comes to endurance. It could be the difference between running the race set before us or allowing our souls to die.
Anyone who has ever flown on an airplane is familiar with cabin depressurization procedures. When traveling with a child, I put my mask on first and then help the child. Is this because my life is more important than the child’s? Certainly not. The child’s situation is unequivocally urgent. However, it is critically IMPORTANT that I put my mask on first. If I pass out, we BOTH die. It’s the same with the continuous flow of urgent things we face every day. We must attend to the important before we can address the urgent. If we don’t, nothing survives.
I am learning to identify and prioritize the important over the urgent. I have come to understand that I have to put on my air mask or I won’t survive to resolve anything, no matter how urgent. Like every good runner knows, long distance running requires sufficient oxygen. Jesus is our oxygen. I have to breathe in the Holy Spirit like my life depends on it! Because here’s the reality, IT DOES!
All of us who are weary and struggling with anxiety, depression, PTSD and burn out, need to come to Jesus to find rest for our souls! We NEED to be led by the Shepard to green pastures and quiet waters. We absolutely MUST cast our cares on Him who cares for us intimately and passionately. It’s ESSENTIAL that we dwell in the beauty of the presence of Jehova Shalom, the Lord our peace. Our survival hinges on having the kind of intimate relationship with Jesus that causes us to pour out the expensive and limited oil of our time and attention on Him. It’s the only way we will survive long enough to deal with the urgent.
That doesn’t mean we ignore the situations in our lives and the lives of those around us. We don’t stop caring about the urgent. Rather, focusing on Jesus opens the door for miraculous to happen in our lives. It enables us to deal with the urgent in ways we wouldn’t be able to otherwise. When we trade the urgent for the important, we have the resources to meaningfully and effectively address the urgent. We can run the race that is set before us with endurance. We may even find joy in the running.
Photo By Luna Lovegood
And let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking away from all that will distract, focusing our eyes on Jesus, the first incentive for our belief and the One who brings our faith to maturity, who for the joy of accomplishing the goal set before Him endured the cross (Heb 12:1-2 AMP)
Leap of Faith 
You must be logged in to post a comment.