Timeless Words of Wisdom about the Pace of Life

Inside: First we run, then we walk. It’s the normal course of life for most, and but it only starts to make sense when we reach middle age. ~

Don’t you just love it when someone offers a fresh perspective on a familiar scripture?

Take Isaiah 40:31, for example, the passage about waiting on the Lord and mounting up with wings like eagles.

Writing about this verse recently in a post called God is Not Going to Walk Away, author and book launch manager Kaitlyn Bouchillon homed in on the last two phrases: “They shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

“For years, the order confused me,” she wrote. “But after the last few years, I’m comforted by this truth: God is not disappointed in our pace.”

The Right Order

I never noticed the order—first running, then walking—before Kaitlyn pointed it out. Now that she has, though, all I can say is, OF COURSE!

When you’re in your 20s and 30s, perhaps full of energy and ambition, this doesn’t make sense. Who runs first and then walks?

When you’re deep into middle age, growing increasingly aware of your body’s limits and weaknesses, it makes a little more sense.

When you’ve witnessed your own previously energetic parents take their own walk home to glory, though, it makes complete and total sense.

The Way it Goes

It’s the normal course of life for many—those who have gone before us as well as those who will come after. We run, and then we walk, and then, perhaps, we lay down, and eventually, we die.

I’m not trying to be depressing; it’s the truth.

My dad used to say, and I’ve heard others say it too, that the most important thing an older person can do is keep moving. Exercise, in other words.

Dad was Right

When he was unable to walk on his ancient treadmill anymore, it was only a matter of time before his health declined dramatically.

Run, then walk. The fact that this is the order spelled out in the inspired Word of God is so comforting to me.

But that’s not all the truth scripture imparts about running, or about aging.

Another familiar passage, Hebrews 12:1-2, says this: “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (NKJV)

A Clear Connection

This is another one of my favorite scriptures, but until recently, I never saw its connection to Isaiah 40:31. Now, though, the tie-in seems clear.

If we’re to run the race set before us with endurance, we first must “lay aside every weight.” Or, as the NIV puts it, “throw off everything that hinders.”

This includes sin, of course, but I think everything encompasses anything that keeps us from running well. Unforgiveness. Unhealed hurts. Unmet expectations—of ourselves, others and perhaps even God.

Never Too Late

We must rid ourselves of these weights before we can run well. It’s not a stretch to say the earlier we start the healing process, the better it is. But it’s never too late. Never, ever, ever.

I believe that if someone is still breathing, there’s still hope. This applies to so many things, including dealing with the unresolved issues that weigh us down.

I know it’s hard. But we’re not just doing it for ourselves. Think of the example we could set for our sons and daughters if we pushed through to greater healing. Or the difference it might make in all our relationships, near and far.

Never Alone

There are some things we can’t undo, issues that our children may have to work through for themselves. In those cases, we can pray and trust that God will guide and lead them, just as He has led us.

But if we have the opportunity, perhaps we should ask God for the courage to deal with our baggage, whatever it entails. Then maybe we can throw off the weights and run, so we can walk home well later.

And remember, we’re not doing this alone.

As our heavenly Father gently reminds us in Isaiah 46:4, “Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.”

♥ Lois

P.S. I’m linking up this week with #tellhisstory, InstaEncouragements, Let’s Have Coffee and Grace & Truth.