Proverbs 3:13-17
How blessed is the man who finds wisdom
And the man who gains understanding.
For her profit is better than the profit of silver
And her gain better than fine gold.
She is more precious than jewels;
And nothing you desire compares with her.
Long life is in her right hand;
In her left hand are riches and honor.
Her ways are pleasant ways
And all her paths are peace.
For some, wisdom seems to come easy. For me, it takes time. Sometimes I think that’s why I’m still alive — God has a lot left to teach me! One thing I’ve learned with respect to running and wisdom is that it’s not easy to figure out everything yourself. Building on the experience of others gives you a jump start so you are less likely to find yourself in common pitfalls.
Twenty-some years ago when I was in high school, I was pretty good in track and cross country and believed it was because of my quirky diet, odd running style, and doing my own type of training. I’d ignore the coach when he’d tell me not to run too fast on easy days. My mom was always telling me to eat more than Hostess Cupcakes and Dad told me he thought I bounced too much when running. One summer, he even offered to send me to a running camp but I was not interested. Why? Because I thought that if I changed anything, I’d become slower.
Thankfully, I now realize how important easy days are when training to race your best. Good nutrition and hydration would have meant the difference between being a pretty good runner and an amazing runner. And that running camp? They could have helped correct my poor form to make me faster and prevent years of knee pain after high school.
Today, I’m glad to be eating healthy and teaching my children how important these aspects are to giving your best in all areas of life. Following wise instruction makes life more powerful. Even when things seem to be going well, we can’t have too much wisdom. Actually, I thought things were pretty good in high school as far as running was concerned and didn’t feel I needed any help. However, by not accepting good advice, I slighted those closest to me and missed out on being an even better runner.
Having decided to follow Christ later in life, sometimes I wonder how much better everything would have been if I’d been following Christ in high school. However, I’m also grateful to be able to compare how my life was then and how it is now. The wisdom from the Bible will strengthen your spirit which will lead to wiser choices in all things — athletic endeavors included.
Happy Running!
