MEAT FOR MEDITATION

For me, the answer to that question, “Are you a runner?” is “YES.” And so are you, dear reader. Let me explain. First, when people read the question, they immediately think of the natural exercise that many engage in….a bodily exercise that offers health benefits and mental refreshing. Running is a popular sport, practiced worldwide, boasting millions of enthusiasts. I include myself in this number, and have since 1998. I have participated in 5k’s, 10k’s, half-marathons, and even the 26.2 mile full marathon in a couple of different states. This sport has allowed me to stay in shape, enjoy the great outdoors, have personal time with my Heavenly Father, and simply have fun. This is not the case for all, as there are lots of other ways to accomplish the same goals and be healthy. For me, I have always liked to compete and have goals to meet. Running is my thing. Well, that’s the natural side of running, but have you ever stopped to think about the spiritual/mental side of “running?” What do you do when faced with an obstacle in life, one that seems overwhelming, one that requires action, but you really do not know what to do? There is a beautiful song written by Benny Hester many years ago entitled “When God Ran.” The song has been redone and sung by various artists over the years, and many testimonies given of lives changed as a result of listening and applying the message to their own lives. God ran to us! He is always after us. It can be truly stated: HE GETS US. He runs toward us, not away from us. But how many people are running AWAY from Him, when He is the Answer all along? The account of the prodigal son, found in Luke 15, is a beautiful example of an earthly father running TOWARD his son who had run AWAY from the one who loved him the most. This is a glorious parable displaying the love of our Heavenly Father, as He runs to us. We need HIM. Are you running to Him? Are you running to help others who need you, instead of pretending you don’t see or you don’t hear their cries for help? Just a few months ago, as I was running downtown, I heard a voice yelling in desperation. This was a loud male voice as it declared, “Someone please help me. Help me! Please!” I didn’t have to think twice. I stopped and began looking around, trying to locate the voice. Then I heard, “Up here…look up here!” Since I was at a corner with a stoplight nearby, I stopped, and began looking up. Hanging from the parking garage on the upper level I saw what appeared to a man, half-clothed and very desperate, begging for someone to notice and get help. I thought that there must have been a fire in the parking deck, but I saw no smoke and no other people were visible. There were a couple of people nearby, one lady with a cell phone in her hand, as she hurriedly turned the corner and didn’t look back. The others pretended they didn’t hear. After all, these are dangerous times we live in, and this person did seem a little “off,” especially when he was intent about someone calling the IRS. At this point, I knew he had serious challenges, and I was not about to leave him hanging from the upper deck, threatening to jump. No! I talked to him, and I promised to get help. And that I did. I ran TO the situation, not away from it. As I barely turned the corner, there sat a sheriff waiting at the light. I summoned him, and the story ended well. God always provides what we need at just the right time, doesn’t He? It was over 53 years ago that God gave me a dream, that reminds me daily that He has called us to run TO help, and not to run away. After all, He gave dreams to Joseph and he lived them out. God never makes mistakes. He still gives dreams today. My dream was real; it was vivid, and now, after 53 years, I am living that dream. In this dream, there was a very tall tower that was ablaze, and flames licked the stones and the windows in this tower. There were many people inside, terrified and desperate. Faces were seen as they hung their bodies out the small windows yelling. I was only a young Christian, 16 years of age, as I recall still today how I felt watching from below. The people on the ground ran away, hoping that the falling debris and the heat could not reach them, as they escaped for their lives. I could not run away. I did not want to run away. I wanted to save as many as I could, so I feverishly looked around and found a tall ladder that I hoisted and climbed. In the dream, I remember snatching men, women, and children and somehow getting them to safety. Don’t ask me how this was done. I don’t remember, and that is not the point. The point is that I ran! I ran to the problem, not away from it. I guess I have been doing this most of my life. I think it’s what God wants from us. He is a Runner. I am a runner! Are you? The question today is…are you running TO God, or are running AWAY from Him? His status is clear. He is running to you. Don’t run away from Him.