"Come to me all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
Matthew 11:28
Julie Moss. Not exactly a household name. Probably most reading this blog have no idea who she is, so let me share her story. I remember watching ABC sports in 1982 as they showed Julie’s story. She was participating in the Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii. This triathlon consists first of a 2.4 mile swim, an 11.2 mile bike ride, and if that isn’t enough, it culminates with a 26.2 mile run – a full marathon. Julie was in the final leg of the marathon, and she was in the lead. But a few hundred yards from the finish line, Julie’s legs and body gave out. No longer could she run to cross the finish line. In fact, she didn’t even have the strength to walk to it. Now with just yards from the finish line, the 2nd place competitor Kathleen McCartney overtook Julie Moss for the lead and went on to win. But Julie didn’t quit even though her body was shutting down. Each forward step resulted in her falling to the ground, yet Julie was determined to finish. On hands and knees, Julie moss crawled to the finish line. The images are forever written in my mind.
Why is Julie Moss important today? Well, in our ABF class this morning, we were talking about the times in our life when God wants us to “be still.” My husband Frank is our teacher, and he mentioned in passing how our lives are so busy, it’s like we’re a marathon runner. What happens when they need to be hydrated? Do they stop and take a break, or do they keep going? No, they don’t stop, at least never by choice. As they pass someone along the sidelines of the race, they get handed a Gatorade or a bottle of water. They drink it or even pour it on themselves, throw the remains on the ground behind them, and they keep running. They keep going, and they don’t stop.
Then Frank stopped and said, “How many times do we approach God like that? How many times do we grab God on the go?” I started to visualize that concept. In truth, it’s a profound thought, and he told me later that he had just thought of it ‘on the fly.’ (He’s pretty incredible, that husband of mine!) Think about it. How many times do we guzzle God down, as quickly as we can, try to get some spiritual replenishment (at least enough to help us last until the next water pick-up)? How many times do we try to fit Him into our life’s marathon instead of taking time on the sidelines to replenish?
I sat there with my mind whirling on this subject the rest of the morning in class and honestly, it consumed my thoughts throughout the church service. My husband had just described my life’s race for the last few weeks and until today, what it would have looked like for about the next month. I’ve been guilty of “grabbing God on the go”. Now, some might argue that at least I’m taking time to grab Him, and I would agree with that argument. Some is always better than none. But in my heart of hearts, I know I’ve not been taking enough time on the sidelines to be replenished.
What exactly does "replenish” mean, anyway? It means "to fill something that had previously been emptied. Did you get that? To FILL what had been EMPTIED. Replenish does not mean to take a few gulps of water so you don’t suffer from dehydration along the way. It doesn’t mean to add $2 worth of gas to your gas tank when you’re already on empty with the warning light on. No, that won’t get you very far, especially with the cost of gas these days! To be filled, I have to be emptied. Emptied of myself. My pride. My agenda. My busy-ness. Emptied so that God can replenish and fill me up so much that I can’t be filled “no more!”
This morning, God convicted me that I’ve not been allowing Him to replenish me. I’ve been running on empty, trying to get by with just a buck of gas in my tank each day. But that’s not His plan. He wants me to sit down, shut up, and stop moving long enough for Him to replenish me. He wants me to just find rest in Him. He wants me to take a break from this marathon of life and drink me up some God-Gatorade. (Yes, I know, that’s not very good use of the English language; just consider it used for the sake of emphasis!)
Now, you know me. I’m not a runner. I run to the kitchen. I run to the bathroom. I might even run up the stairs to catch the ringing phone, but that’s where my running usually stops. However, on a regular basis, my schedule runs me, and as of late, it’s been running me completely ragged. The funny thing is that I really believe God is using me in ways that I never dreamed possible, just by me being available to Him. But the problem is that as Christians, we can get involved too much in ‘doing and serving’ that we neglect our own relationship with the Lord. What good am I to the body of Christ if I'm not spiritually healthy myself?
As I was checking to make sure my facts were correct for this blog, I found out that Julie Moss had never even trained for that Ironman Triathlon. She was a college student who participated in the event as part of her research for her exercise physiology thesis. Certainly, Julie Moss is an inspirational story, one of great determination and perseverance. Yet, I can’t help but wonder if she had actually trained and conditioned herself, maybe even if she would have just taken some time to stop along that 26.2 mile run to replenish, maybe just maybe, things would be different. Perhaps she would be remembered for winning that triathlon instead of crawling across the finish line on hands and knees.
I don't know about you, but when the finish line is in sight, I don’t want to be crawling on hands and knees to make it. Like Kathleen McCartney, the winner of that Ironman Triathlon, I want to make the right moves along the race to run to the finish line, not just make it there crawling. For that to be true, the “grabbing God on the go” must end. No more guzzling Him down while I'm running my race, leaving the scraps on the ground behind me. I've been running on fumes, and I'm so thankful God chose to use a little unplanned comment to drive home a big life lesson for me today on being replenished with some God-Gatorade.
Renew me, Lord, as I run this race.
Break through me, Lord, occupy each space.
Remind me, Lord, to take time to rest.
Replete me, Lord, so I’m at my best.
PS - A short video of Julie’s Ironman completion can be found at this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbWsQMabczM
--- Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com