(originally published in The Daily Press, Religion Section, 9-6-14)
Last weekend I ran in a popular half marathon with one of my sons. We met at the expo the day before to pick up our race packets and have dinner together. Over our meal, my son asked what I thought my race time would be? I told him and he lovingly chuckled saying, “mom, that’s not a running time, that’s more like a walking time.” Feeling a little embarrassed, I asked him what he thought his race time would be? When he told me his personal goal was to run seven-minute miles, considering his training had been relatively minimal compared to my own elaborate measures, I raised my eyebrows and asked, “seriously – for 13.1 miles?”
Forgetting the fact that I am twice his age, not to mention that the Journal of American Aging Association reports the age of athletic performance peak is considered 26 years old (his age), I momentarily went from being excited about the race, to feeling self-conscious of my anticipated time when compared to his.
After all, I had diligently trained five days a week at 3000 feet elevation for many weeks; undergoing dangerous circumstances at that, such as: narrowly escaping death by golf ball from the errant drive of a golfer wielding a bad left hook at the Ashwood; was literally inches from being taken out in the face by a squirrel jumping from a concrete wall to the branch of a tree just as I rounded a corner behind the Del Webb community; twisted my ankle trying to avoid a baby frog that jumped into my stride; the list goes on... This doesn’t even include the long distance training hazards such as losing my big toenail two weeks before the race.
Hey, I had to overcome major hurdles to earn my bib number! Now I was defeated with feelings of dissatisfaction before ever pinning number 5296 to my jersey.
How often do we survey the landscape of our situations and come up short in comparison to others? The culture of our day sells a bill of goods that we need to be faster, richer,smarter, and sleeker than what we currently are. Consumerism dictates that what you have or what you are isn’t enough.
Think of the magazine title, Better Homes and Gardens.Why better? Do I really need something better that what I have? My home and garden are just fine. Or how about women’s magazines such as Cosmopolitan, so you can know exactly what a perfect body is supposed to look like; except not even the models can achieve it without airbrushing, cosmetic dentistry, and a plastic surgeon.
I am reminded of The Lord’s words to Samuel, “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Sam. 16:7). Man’s approval is fleeting and ever changing, so chase after the things of God.
Scripture tells us we’re not to compare ourselves (2 Cor.10:12). When we do our best we can feel good about the results. When tempted to compare, compare yourself with Jesus. He inspires us not only to do our personal best, but we’ll receive acceptance and comfort even if we miss the mark!
Said C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity, “Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man... It is the comparison that makes you proud: the pleasure of being above the rest. Once the element of competition is gone, pride is gone.”
The apostles were tempted in this area, too. Consider Peter in John 21:21-22: Jesus speaks to Peter of a future hardship he will face at the end of his life. Immediately, Peter turned and saw John there and asked, “Lord, what about him?”Jesus answered tersely, “what is that to you?’” Our propensity is to measure ourselves against others rather than pressing on toward the personal goal God has in mind for each of us.
Coming into the final stretch, tears filled my eyes as I pushed hard to the finish. I may not have raced like a twenty-something, but I had achieved my personal best as a fifty-something, shaving thirteen minutes off my previous attempt; this time without blood in my socks, or limp in my gait. And my son the gazelle? He reached his personal best too, placing 99th out of 15,952.
The Rev. Heidi Summers is affiliated with Freedom in Christ Ministries, is a board certified pastoral counselor, board certified life coach and is currently completing her doctorate at Fuller Theological Seminary.
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