This past weekend I had the privilege of going on a fun weekend adventure with a close friend of mine down to Austin, TX. We had no agenda, no plans, no expectations…our only and primary objective was to go have a fun relaxing weekend. On Sunday evening we ended up participating in a 10k race that Nike was putting on in 25 cities around the world, the whole concept was centered around getting people together around an event to do some good for the world and a few charities through running.
I want to be honest, I’ve done plenty of races. It is easy for me to be very mechanical about racing, sometimes it feels like showing up for work; I show up, get the job done, work hard, go home. I enjoy it for certain, but often I enjoy a race well run (results) more than I enjoy simply racing. As I stood near the start line, and listened to the national anthem I felt for the first time in a long time, deeply in touch with many of the reasons that draw me back to toe the start line in my life. I realized it had been a while since I’ve felt this certain kind of excitement. I, for certain, had nothing to prove, I had no agenda, no goals, I wasn’t trying to accomplish anything specific, I was just there to enjoy the event…to soak it in completely.
As I stood there I started to recall many of the times where I had been in that position before, waiting for the race to start (figuratively and literally). There is a particular buzz that infests the air before the first steps of a race. Its hard to explain unless you’ve felt it, but I believe there are some deeply symbolic things about the first steps we take on any course in life, running and otherwise. There is an embracing of the unknown, an anticipation and a healthy fear of what lies ahead, and of course a decisive forward motion that pushes us onward despite what may come.
From Marathons to marriages, first steps are always big ones; they carry big weight and can set the tone for much of what is ahead. It is important to note that it is not the race that matters here…it’s the active step of getting out there, of doing and of trying regardless of circumstance or outcome. First steps always carry a degree of uncertainty mixed with action.
Part of what struck me about the spirit of Sunday’s race is it was, for me at least, a celebration. It wasn’t about how fast or how far, it wasn’t about an achievement, it was about enjoyment…it was about taking those first steps each day in my life and getting out on the race course and running a good race, it was about celebrating the journey and not worrying about the destination. What would my life look like if I was engaged in the act of celebrating regardless of my circumstances?
Celebrating is a hard verb for me, it’s a hard action. I like to achieve, I like to succeed, but celebrating…its so…well…soft. There is no orientation for outcome, there is no consideration for success, but rather a life marked by celebration unanimously sets circumstance aside and forces us to embrace the present tense of where we are. Celebrating means that we take the good with the bad, and we have a heart of gratitude for it all. We may not conditionally and selectively take things as good or bad, for if we truly believe we serve a sovereign and good God, then we embrace that he either allowed or mandated all of our circumstances to be so. When we celebrate, we take all that God puts in our lives and we take it with grateful hearts. Personal loss, joblessness, professional success, good grades, good looks, bad luck, disability, marriage, being single…its all his, and if we are completely his, we are called to celebrate what he is doing. We celebrate the opportunity for God to do great things in, on, through and around us…and we take those big first steps to get in on the action, and we take them daily. Its as if to say, “I don’t know where I’m going for certain, but I’m for certain that I’m going and God can take care of the rest.”
My Dad says it best, “you can’t steer a parked car”. If we are not in motion and in action, how is it possible for our ultimate trajectory to be changed?
I think if we look around, we can find so much to celebrate, but it is important that our celebrating keeps us taking action, taking first steps every day to run hard and leave it all on the course and let God do what he may. Celebration defuses the spirit of criticism and entitlement that so easily consumes us all, when we celebrate we look past all that could otherwise distract us from persevering and enjoying this great race. Celebration means we accept what we are graciously given with hearts of thanksgiving…celebration is enjoying the ride no matter how bumpy it may be.
All circumstance, good, bad and otherwise are the strokes of a master painter. Carefully planned, thoughtfully executed, beautifully intricate…our lives are a part of his masterpiece. Each brush stroke of heartache, joy, loss, and love, and each experience, each day, and each moment are all a part of his mural. They all add vibrant color and distinct character to each part of this work of art that he is carefully drawing out. All too often I find my self getting caught up in the paint and missing the painter completely. Instead of admiring the artist, I fixate on smudges instead of the broader work of art…I miss God completely.
When we live lives of celebration, we take a step back, and we admire the artist, we trust his work, and we acknowledge ourselves as a smaller part of his much larger masterpiece. We daily toe the start line, and race, we run hard, we run in faith, and we dive in to each circumstance whatever it may be. In the end, we turn back and give praise for each sanctifying brushstroke that crafts the mosaic of our lives together. In the end,
Take some time to celebrate your world, the more we look the more we find.
Stepping,
CP
PS. The picture above is of my first steps on Sunday…unfortunately Lance Armstrong and Matthew McConaughey got in the frame with me…I'm in the frame, consider it like a game of "Where's Waldo".
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