Lent

I remember training for the Columbus marathon a number of years ago. I followed a prescribed training program that involved running up hills, doing speed work (sprints) and long runs (building up to at least 20 miles).

I have been reflecting on this whole idea of our life of faith compared to a sprint or a marathon. Is it most like a sprint or a marathon or like both or neither? Having raced distances from the ¼ mile to the ½ marathon and having run the distance of a full marathon, it seems to me that our life of faith is a combination of sprints and marathons – that there are seasons of long – seemingly slow growth like a marathon and other times when there is the breathless burst of growth resembling a sprint.

Races – sprints or marathons – imply starting and stopping points. Each race ends either when you drop out or cross the finish line. Dropping out does not seem like a good option in matters of faith and where is the finish line? Is heaven the finish line or is it a transition to a completely unencumbered, but continuous journey of companionship with Christ? Perhaps then it will seem less like a race (whether sprint or marathon) and more like a stroll in the park with the One who has redeemed us.

Peter Scazzero in Emotionally Healthy Spirituality describes this life of faith as a journey. “Journeys involve movement, action, stops and starts, detours and delays and trips into the unknown.” I like that description. It is a journey – one that requires perseverance, mid-course adjustments, rest breaks, intense drive and endurance. It is more like a string of races – sprints, marathons and ultra-marathons with periods of respite between the surges required for each stage of the journey.

So what does any of this have to do with the Lenten season? We give up, give in, and give more to seek deeper fellowship with Christ, cleanse our hearts, express our love for Jesus and reflect on our journey.

Lenten seasons are “breathers” – pauses in the journey (not vacations) but pregnant pauses – opportunities to evaluate the journey; to make adjustments in the race; to insure we are on the right course, in anticipation of the next leg of the journey with all its hills, valleys, hurdles, storms and days of sheer running pleasure.