President Thornburg's Reflection

This past summer, I attended a reunion with my high school cross-country team. In 1980, we were a small suburban team finishing three points away from the State Championship. We made a lot of great memories and have stayed in touch over the years.  This past summer was the first time we all came together since high school.

 

One of my former teammates, Cris, wanted to include a run around a local lake as part of the reunion. However, due to knee replacements and other ailments of men over 60, no one was interested. I felt a certain obligation to support Cris and agreed to run with him. I hadn’t run in over 15 years and had the summer to get ready for the reunion in August.

 

Though my mind had approved of getting in shape for a three-mile jog, my body did not cooperate. As the weeks went by, my progress was slow and sometimes painful. I worked through several common injuries and arrived in passable shape to have Cris drag me around the lake. We had a great time reminiscing.

 

I returned home with soreness in my knee and hip, and decided to consult a trainer for help. It was determined that my cadence (steps per minute) was too slow. My long stride and slow steps created a more significant shock impact. With more ground contact time and less efficiency, gravity was causing more wear and tear.

 

The Bible refers to our faith journey as a race in which we are runners.

 

I Corinthians 9:24

 

Hebrews 12:1

 

This latest revelation about running caused me to reflect on the cadence of my faith.  Is it slow, plodding, and inefficient, or am I running with endurance in such a way as to finish? The steps we take as part of our faith journey should be in step with what the Lord would want us to do. He has the perfect cadence, and we must take time to ensure we are in step with Him.

 

Hebrews 12:1-2

 

My prayer is for our school community to continue to move ahead in His cadence.