Running Parables - volume one

I've been running lately. That may come as a shock to many of you. Quite honestly, it's been a bit of a shock to me. If you've only known me for the last 15 years, you may not even know that I used to be a runner. Not a "runner" in the sense that you're thinking. I didn't do marathons or half-marathon or even 5K fun runs. I was a sprinter. Run fast. Stop. Run fast. Stop. None of this jog-till-you-drop stuff!!

Be that as it may, I've now returned to my roots and taken up jogging. Funny thing - at age 38 and having been out of shape for 14 years - it doesn't work to go down to the local track, put on your spikes, and take off at full speed. A person can hurt themselves. So I've been jogging from home, gradually adding more time and distance. I confess to loving it and being thrilled that I'm physically in a place where I can do it.

As I run, I have an abundance of amazingly profound thoughts. I often think, "Oh, I need to go home and blog about that one," but by the time I've huffed and puffed home, got a shower, helped the kids get ready and out the door to school and cleaned up from last night's mess - I've generally forgotten that I went running in the morning, let alone having had any profound thoughts. Today, however, I remembered, so here it is, with no further ado.

For the last 9 years I have had to run with a stroller. The other day when I was running, I was reflecting on how much easier it is to run now that I'm not pushing a stroller with my two good arms. Arms were made for pumping when a person runs, not pushing a stroller. So having them extended in front of me holding onto a large rolling object interferes with both my stride and

my rhythm. Using my arms as they were created to be used, has made a huge difference in both my ability to run, and my enjoyment of the activity.

So, here are my two life lessons about arms and running today. The first is that we have to accept and give ourselves grace for the season of life we are in. I'm no longer pushing a stroller, which makes running easier. I need to give myself grace for the 9 years I really didn't run much, because that was the season I was in. You may be pushing a "stroller" in another area of life - that just makes it harder to do what you need to do. Accept the stroller season, and give yourself grace. It's good to know our limitations and live within the boundaries of our season of life. It makes life more free. Don't beat yourself up for what you can't do - or the energy you don't have because you have to fight hard for what you accomplish each day.

Second - the body of Christ is kind of like a runner. And if that runner doesn't have arms, it doesn't function very well. I believe the Church has formed denominations around body parts. Let me explain. :) We tend to congregate with those who think like us and act like us. But Jesus said we are a body and we need each other. The eye can't say to the foot that it's more important, neither can the hand function if it has no arm. So while preaching unity, the church has divided over it's body parts. The brains formed an intellectual denomination, the hearts/emotions formed a charismatic denomination, the hands formed a social justice denomination and the moral conscience formed conservative denominations all over America. We are weak because we are only body parts. What would happen if the mind, heart and will all engaged together and formed a body that was all at the same time intellectual, emotional AND active in social justice. The theology would be sharpened by the experiences of worship, and worship would be purified by good theology. The activities of the church would flow out of love and grace. Morality is upheld because of desire rather than obligation - and we have a sort of "checks and balances" that God designed.

When we leave out a body part - or make it push the stroller - we weaken the structure that God intended for the church.