Why Are You Trying to Escape?

Runners always get asked why they run. Some do it for good health. Others do it to maintain their stress and sanity. But there are plenty of runners who admit that they run as a form of escape. They want to either escape their job, their home, or even their own reality. Instead of meeting issues head on and trying to determine the best course in life, they choose to escape and avoid making any worthwhile decisions. I'm not saying that this is necessarily bad or that I myself have not done it in the past, but there comes a time when you have to stop trying to escape and actually face the music. For example, I have had to confront the reality of my depression instead of living in denial that I deal with it. Once I accepted that it is a part of who I am, I was able to focus on how I can overcome situations where I become depressed. Instead of outrunning the problem, I admitted that I had one, which gave me the strength to ensure it does not rule my life and define my existence.
I believe that many people desperately try to outrun their past and feel unworthy of Christ's love. This is very unfortunate because the truth of the matter is that Jesus and the Father will love you no matter what. They just want you to trust in them to control your life so that you rely on them instead of your own instincts. "No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength...We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield." ~Psalm 33:16, 20. This verse directs us to putting our hope in God because we cannot do anything without Him in order to save ourselves. There is no sense trying to outrun our past when God knows all and is the only one who can truly bring us comfort and help. No matter what you have done in life, Christ is the great intercessor between you and God and as long as you love Jesus and go to him for help, you are never alone. This hope can be found in Hebrews 7:25, which clearly states, "Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them."
My hope is that people will find encouragement through the love of Jesus so that they do not feel the need to run away and hide. It is very difficult going through life feeling unworthy and alone, but we must not forget that God is always their by our side. He wants to bring us comfort and he should be the one that we go to with all of our problems; nobody else truly knows what is best for us. In the face of difficult life decisions, instead of trying to run away and escape, we must always pray and ask for guidance because that is the only way through it all. I prayed a lot when it came to deciding to run my marathon. Some may not feel that this would be a major life decision, but given the mental obstacles it involves me to overcome, it was quite necessary in my mind to ask for guidance.
So the next time you find yourself trying to run away from life for some reason, try to remember that God is merciful and loves you for you. Take Ephesians 2:4-5 ~ "But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved." I find this very encouraging to know that no matter how much I screw up, I will always be loved. I am going to leave you with lyrics from the song that inspired this post. It is the song "Come Home" by Luminate.

There's power in the blood of Jesus

Your father's screaming just come home

And He's reaching out His hands

I know you been running, searching for something

But you're looking in a place you don't belong

Well, it's never too late, you can't outrun grace

No, mercy doesn't care what you've done

So come home