Ben & I ran this morning on the Prairie Path. It was probably 20 degrees, but a stiff wind from the NE made it feel much, much colder. Though we didn't go far, simply staying upright on the icy trail made for a tough workout.
The single best thing (and perhaps the only good thing) about running in the wintertime is that it prepares the body for going long when the weather warms. I can't wait for long, hot summertime runs!
There is in this a real connection to discipleship for the Christian. We work and struggle in the dry, cold periods of faith (which is redeeming in and of itself), making us strong, resilient, and resolute. Even moreso it prepares habits that truly bear fruit in the right season. Humility is born (I don't run well in the cold). Toughness emerges (how else could one get up at 5 a.m. to run icy paths in bitter cold?). Patience is formed (I'm pretty sure spring won't be here for a few months). Character is forged. Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, testifies that "[We] rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us" (Rom. 5:3-5).
I have yet to see how the easy, comfortable life is in any way edifying. In an age of comfort, we surely have to produce discomfort for ourselves, which on the surface is quite absurd. But then we look upon our Savior and the suffering He endured and what that suffering earned for us...If I truly want to be like Him (and I do), then I will engage in suffering, too, even thanking God for it. Furthermore, I don't know that Christ looks with great favor upon the self-inflicted suffering of a triathlete any more than He might look upon the self-flagellant ascetic. However, if we are prepared to suffer for little things--even when that suffering is self-produced--I do believe that we are prepared for the suffering that surely comes with following Him.
The trick, of course, to running on ice is balance. You must have, more than anything, strong feet upon which to run and "feel" the ground. Holy Scripture (and the right reading of it) is our feet. Prayer maintains the equilibrium required to adjust to shifting surfaces. Fellowship (not just company, but Christian fellowship) is the encourager needed to stay the course (and to drag my tired body out of bed in the morning).
I've surely taken this metaphor about as far as it will go.
If you are not a runner, find something that will demand your suffering.
And then transfer that discipline to discipleship--pray, fast, study, go.
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