Failure (Richard Pidgley)

FAILURE Recently I woke up with purpose! I jumped out of bed at 6am and was going to run around the circumference of three local lakes (I’ve mentioned these lakes before), in fact I had a nice 10k in mind and I was hoping to run the distance in under an hour. Always remember when running early mornings to 1. Get your kit ready the night before, it’s a time waster looking for running gear first thing in the morning when time is of the essence, particularly if it’s a run squeezed in before work! 2. Respect your family and neighbours - you may be rising early full of joyful anticipation for a great run, but your family and neighbours may need their beauty sleep, so learn to tread quietly through the house and show kindness to your community. That morning it was dark and cold, in fact there was glistening frost on the grass and ice coating the pavements and roads as I drove away from my home. I parked up near the lakes and checked my kit, Garmin switched on, mobile phone secure in my armband, head torch switched on, hang on… the powerful beam looked diminished and didn’t appear to cut through the inky black darkness as usual, but I was at the beginning of the trail now and ready to run so I thought it would be ok and set off for my 10K One kilometre into the lakeside trail I was warming up nicely despite the freezing conditions around the lakes, however that head torch was not working as it should and visibility was becoming difficult. Around 2 kilometres into my 10K run, as I came to the end of a newly laid path and hit the original trail which was uneven and full of exposed roots like writhing serpents before me I knew this was going to be tough going forward. Also I had to somehow navigate around ice bound craters brimming with mud and water which wasn’t easy and several times I slipped into the icy pools drenching my feet and then it’s happened, my head torched failed and I was left in darkness! To have continued to run on that trail in those treacherous conditions and so close to the deep waters edge would have been foolhardy, and so after doing a dynamic risk assessment, I waited until my eyes acclimatised to the murky pre dawn surrounds and then had to walk slowly along the slippery path until I was able to join a single track road which would eventually lead me back to where I had parked my car. Once on that road I jogged back to my car, covered in cold wet mud and my ankles bleeding where I been scratched by sliding into the sharp undergrowth hedging the dark trail. God gives us wisdom - so use it! If the path is dangerous, if there is wildlife that can do you harm, if the neighbourhood has a threatening feel, then listen to the Holy Spirit - we love to run for sure, but taking unnecessary risks for vain glory is foolish and possibly also sinful - do a dynamic risk assessment of any situation where you have a gut instinct that there is danger and don’t be afraid to call the run off. So much for a glorious 10k, no triumphant Facebook posting on the group page, but instead the thoughts of failure filled my frustrated mind. And then the words of Micah 7:8 came to mind, ‘Do not gloat over me, my enemies! For though I fall, I will rise again.’ As I meditated on those words driving home I laughed out loud, here I was feeling like I failed in my run, but the truth was I regularly run and I would have that 10K another day, yes today didn’t work out, but I would be back out there soon enough and achieve my goal. If you’ve not hit your running targets, missed a training session, failed to smash that PB and you feel like you’re on the deck don’t give up, embody the words of Micah and say… “I WILL RISE AGAIN!” Of course we will see failures at times in our running and in other areas of our life and it’s at such times the ‘enemy’ will gloat over us, but let’s get it all in perspective, we may have had a bad day, but a bad day doesn’t make a bad life! So if you’re on the deck and feeling low because you failed remember this, there is forgiveness with God and there is no failure that will ever separate us from God’s love… The Bible says, ‘And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow-not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below-indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ (Romans 8: 38-39) There is No Separation from the love of God! - Even if my running is not what I hope for I’m still loved - Even if I’m facing hardships I’m still loved - Even if I’m battling satanic forces I’m still loved - Even if I’m sick and facing death I’m still loved WE HAVE THE BEST LIFE IN JESUS And here’s the thing, that head torch failed because I had neglected to ensure it was charged up and ready for service. I just assumed it was ok to use, but it wasn’t! And as a result my run failed because I was not properly prepared. As Christian runners we are to shine like lights in a dark world, like those heroes of the athletic world who run with the Olympic flame, we too must run for the King of Kings carrying the flame of the Holy Spirit’s anointing in our lives. So let’s not assume that this will just happen, because if we neglect our spiritual health, like I neglected the battery in my head torch, we won’t have the anointing we need from God to make a difference in our world. Rather let us be like the five wise virgins in Jesus parable who had their lamps full of oil and ready for the sudden coming of their beloved Bride Groom. (Mathew 25) The Bible commands us to be ‘full of the Holy Spirit’ (Ephesians 5:18) and the good news is this Jesus said ‘How much more will the Father give the Spirit to those who ask Him’. A bad day doesn’t make a bad life and a bad run doesn’t make a failed runner! We must rise up in the resurrection power of Jesus and get back out there. Sure enough a few days later with a recharged torch I went early morning trail running and got my 10K…what about you, when are you going to recharge and get back out there?