A Slow-Paced Run

Yesterday afternoon, I went for a run on the boardwalk and purposefully ran at a slow pace. The goal was to keep my heart rate relatively low. It’s a training strategy that supposed to help builds one’s aerobic capacity—and burn fat. It sounds easy, but I can tell you it is not, at least not for me. It takes discipline to keep the pace down so that the heart rate stays down. That meant, every time my heart rate would begin to go up past a certain point, I would have to slow down even more until it came back in line with my desired heart rate goal.   

Yesterday’s run of four miles took me 53 minutes. That’s a long time for me to run that distance. (It turned out to be a pace of 13:14/mile).  To me it was more of a jog than a run—I might even call it a slog!  And it did require quite a bit of discipline on my part. But as I was running at that slow pace, I continued to tell myself it was worth it. And I began to realize that at the slower pace, I was in fact able to enjoy the scenery and atmosphere around me, more so than if I was going by at a faster pace. 

If you’re anything like me (and I believe like most people), you probably live your life at a fairly quick pace. You know how it is, jumping from one activity to another, from one commitment to another, from one conversation to the next. Before you know it, the day has passed by and you’ve hardly had time to catch your breath. Meaningful conversations have been replaced by sound bites, one task blurs into the next, and your mind is moving faster than you can drive. There’s little time to think, to enjoy, or to relate to those around us. Worst of all, our relationship with God begins to fall to the wayside. 

Jesus said to his disciples, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:28-29 – NIV)  Jesus invites us to slow down, to come to him, and to find in him the rest for which our bodies, minds, and souls crave. He invites us to slow down that we might find rest in his presence. 

Let me encourage you today to respond to Jesus’ invitation. Set a slower pace. Let your heart rate come down.  Take a deep breath. Take time to pray.  Allow space for the presence of Jesus. And you just might find that you are enjoying, a little bit more, the life God has given you to live.    

Have a great day! 

- Pastor Tim Harris