As we begin week 5 of our training for the Flapjack 5K, it seems like a good time to talk about perseverance. Perseverance is a concept found throughout scripture, although sometimes using other words such as endurance and steadfastness, for example. In James 5:11 we read “As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered.” In Romans 5:3-4 Paul writes, “Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.” And the writer of Hebrews even uses a running analogy: “Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” (Hebrews 12:1)
When the Bible talks about perseverance (and endurance) it is usually encouraging us to stay strong as we strive to serve God, trusting that even in our hardest struggles (spiritual and otherwise) God is with us, and future blessings await us. The same concept applies to training for a race. If we persevere and follow our training plan we grow in strength and endurance. Our hope is to cross the finish line on June 10th.
And, just as in our spiritual life, while it is essential to persevere, the blessings that await us are gifts from God. If we faithfully train week after week we will get stronger, and maybe even faster. But if we think about the process, we realize it happens because of God’s incredible design for the human body. As we alternate working our running muscles and resting, muscles grow stronger and even our ability to process nutrition and oxygen improves, all because of the amazing systems God designed when He created the first humans!
So, I encourage you all to persevere in your training, trusting God for His design that will cause you to be stronger week by week. And finally, I have a favor to ask of you. Would you take a minute and use the form below or go to the contact page and drop me a quick note? I just want to know how many people are reading, and to know how your training is going. Thanks so much, and God bless you!
Running
Begin each workout with a 5-minute walk, then:
Day 1 Walk for 2 minutes, jog for 3 minutes. Repeat 4 times, followed by 5 minutes of walking.
Day 2 Walk for 2 minutes, jog for 3 minutes. Repeat 4 times, followed by 5 minutes of walking.
Day 3 Walk for 1 minutes, jog for 4 minutes. Repeat 4 times, followed by 5 minutes of walking.
Day 4 (Optional) Walk for 2 minutes, jog for 3 minutes. Repeat 4 times, followed by 5 minutes of walking.
Walking
Day 1 Walk 35 minutes at an easy pace.
Day 2 Walk 35 minutes at an easy pace.
Day 3 Walk 35 minutes at an easy pace.
Day 4 (Optional) Walk 35 minutes at an easy pace.