The Need for Weakness

Last week, I was doing some work at school and had the book, A Place for Weakness by Michael S. Horton, sitting on the table next to me.  One of my professors walked by and saw it and said that there is no place for weakness in this world.  As my professor walked away, all I could think about was how off base that comment was and how far from God this guy must be.
In my mind, one needs weakness to know that they need God.  If somebody always has everything go in their favor, that person believes that they are the reason for their so-called "perfect" life.  Once something goes wrong, God is blamed.  In essence, this makes no sense.  If you believe you cause the good, then why don't you also cause the bad?  But if we are to blame God for bad, then He must get the credit for the good.  Also, in those bad times, we must realize that we desperately need God for strength and salvation.  The world has twisted humanity into believing weakness has a negative connotation.  But it is only in these times of weakness that we can bow down and realize that we do not have control and only God does.
In retrospect, I have realized that I went into the Harrisburg Marathon believing that I was in control and had the power to finish the race.  Unfortunately, I was severely mistaken and never completed the race.  I now know it is because I did not seek God for assistance.  I saw my inability to finish as a personal failure instead of embracing the opportunity to bring myself closer to God.  I should have taken the time to pray as opposed to wallowing in self pity.
These days, I take a different approach.  I go into a workout asking God to watch over me and when I begin to struggle, I pray for God to be with me and help me conquer the obstacle of pain while I run up a hill at the end of a workout, or when I choose to do the third 2 mile repeat early in the morning.  In a sense, I am literally living out the words of the apostle, Paul.  2 Corinthians 12:9 says, "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me."  It is for this reason that I will never look down on someone when they say they feel weak.  I will hope that that person will utilize the time to pray to God and welcome the power of the Holy Spirit to help them get back on their feet.

Running in Jesus' Name

Many feel that running is a selfish act.  You are an individual in a wide field and upon winning, many accolades are given.  If you are running for yourself, I can easily see that running can be taken in this fashion.  But if you are running for another purpose, to bring glory to Jesus and God, then running is perfectly acceptable and not thought of as a selfish act. 
Running should be approached in the same fashion as prayer.  The verse, "You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.", from John 14:14, highlights how prayer should be performed.  We are not to ask for anything in a selfish manner.  Our goal with prayer should be to bring glory to God, and by asking in Jesus' name, we do just that.  We relinquish any semblance of control by admitting that without Jesus, we cannot get anywhere.  This is exactly how I view my running and my upcoming marathon.  I know that I cannot do it on my own and through conscious thought and prayer, I have been blessed with an abundance of running partners because God knows that I cannot accomplish a marathon without some help along the way.  God has provided me with the proper time and opportunity to accomplish another marathon, and He has also blessed me with determination to accomplish that feat in Jesus' name.