I run. 1 mile. 3 miles. 5K. Obstacle courses, etc. I run…I run
to stay in shape, for stress relief and to train. But the point is… I run. Not
to get anywhere in particular. There is no destination. I just run. It’s a freedom
away from the day’s problems, it’s an escape into my thoughts, and it’s an
internal challenge with myself since there’s no other person running with me.
I, alone, run.
When I run I listen to music. It keeps my spirits up, helps
with my pace and lightens the mood. For a while now I’ve been listening to Pandora
when I run. At first it was a Kirk Franklin station, then a Tye Tribbett one…but
lately I’ve been on Mali Music. But at one point I took a break from the upbeat
gospel and went straight R&B / rap. The beats were better, the music was
faster and my times actually improved. One day I smashed a 5k in 27 min. I was really
moving. I was proud of myself.
Then my heart got heavy. I had to ask myself “why?” I had chosen
to be worldly and secular in my music choice for the sake of an improved
time…but I wasn’t going anywhere. And I wasn’t going anywhere fast. How often
do we take the worldly path for the sake of a faster result? Is it really
worth it?
These days the only place I’m really concerned with
getting to is Heaven. Running in circles is fun and all but at the end of the
day I’ll be in the place I started. I’ll be sweaty and winded, but still at the
same spot. Whether I listen to rap or
gospel the ending is the same.
I know and understand that I am saved through grace &
mercy…not through my own actions. But we should follow after God because we
love who He is and what he does for us. We are to honor Him in all things we do…
including running. If Jesus says “No
one can come to the Father except through me” (John 14:6) and if
my destination is Heaven, I can’t get there via trap music.
So either I can go nowhere
fast, or I can take my time and be positively influenced by worship music that
reminds me of how great God is.
