Run with Joy
I have learned many lessons since starting physical therapy.
Physical therapy reveals my need for patience, discernment, endurance/perseverance, and discipline. And I discovered this morning, my need for joy.
Psalm 119: 32 I will run the way of your commandments because you have enlarged my heart.
Patience I probably heard the word “patience” more than any other word since my rotator cuff surgery. Patience required me to wait when nothing seemed to be happening. Patience was required when I needed to listen to the doctors, physical therapists and my wife and I wanted to do otherwise.
Luke 8:15 promises those planted in good soil will “bear fruit with patience.” Romans 8:25 says since we hope for what we do not see (the redemption of our bodies), we need patience. Patience is a fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22), a work of the Spirit not just for me but something that enables me to bear with others in love (Eph 4:32). Patience is a characteristic of God’s chosen ones (Col 3:12), that is to be part of our life and teaching (2 Tim 3:10; 4:2). Patience is the only way we get to the other side of suffering and experience the promises of God (James 5:10).
Discernment I did not expect that I needed discernment but I did. After six long weeks of waiting after the surgery and I started therapy, I needed great discernment. Muscle fatigue or pain in the shoulder? I learned that pain was not my friend and pain did not lead to gain! Paul says that as our love grows, we still need discernment (Phil 1:9). And Hebrews 5:14 wisely teaches that we grow in discernment as we practice distinguishing good from evil. Or in my case, pain from fatigue.
Endurance I am not expecting a return to full strength until the end of the year—that is over nine months. Yep, perseverance or endurance is needed in physical therapy, especially with a massive tear like mine. Endurance or hupomene, used 31 times, is one of my favorite words in the New Testament. Louw and Nida says that hupomene is the “capacity to continue to bear up under difficult circumstances.” Endurance is a characteristic of hope (Rom 5:3; 8:25), of love (1 Cor 13:7) and often combined with patience in the New Testament (Col 1:11). I need to not give up!
Discipline I would not say I am a very disciplined person and physical therapy has exposed that. PT is painful, tedious, boring and I have had many days that I would prefer to do anything else. Discipline is needed in order to avoid disqualification says Paul (I Cor 9:27). Discipline is needed in prayer (Luke 11:19) and illustrated in a common way by Jesus (Luke 18:5). When we have been disciplined, if we allow ourselves to be trained by it, we gain the peaceful fruit of righteousness, Hebrews 12:11 tells us. A lot of good things comes out of being disciplined. I know this and physical therapy has revealed how my relentless desire to do things my way.
Joy And physical therapy has uncovered my great need for joy! I read the following verse yesterday.
Psalm 119: 32 I will run the way of your commandments because you have enlarged my heart.
I love this verse because it puts the onus on God to do the work first. Only he can enlarge or widen in my heart— increase my capacity for obedience? And so I do what naturally follows a transformed heart call— I will run the way of your commandments. Running implies an eagerness. I will follow them—they will be my delight. There will be a freedom in obedience. This is knowing your easy yoke. And light burden. A labor that follows being with Jesus and resting In Jesus. I will run the way of your commandments because you have enlarged my heart. Thank you God.
This reminds me of one of my favorite biblical characters, Ahimaaz. After the death of David’s son, Absalom, Ahimaaz wanted to runa and carry the news to King David.
Sam. 18:19 Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, “Let me run and carry news to the king that the LORD has delivered him from the hand of his enemies.”
Joab warned Ahimaaz not to run because he feared the kings reaction to the news and sent a Cushite instead. It seems Joab preferred to potentially sacrifice the Cushite over sending Ahimaaz. But, after the Cushite took off running, Ahimaaz expressed once again his desire to run!
2Sam. 18:22 Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said again to Joab, “Come what may, let me also run after the Cushite.” And Joab said, “Why will you run, my son, seeing that you will have no reward for the news?” 23 “Come what may,” he said, “I will run.” So he said to him, “Run.” Then Ahimaaz ran by the way of the plain, and outran the Cushite.
What joy! Come what may, I will run. Even if there is no reward, I want to run. How this expresses what is in my heart.
End of story—Ahimaaz heard the warning in Joab’s voice and so carefully and cautiously gave David the news but not ALL the news. Unlike the Cushite who arrives and blurts out insensitively the news about the death of David’s son. This throws David into a dark depression and it appears the Cushite escapes with his head.
Another favorite verse that illustrates how a person under the power of God runs (and leaps) with joy. Eugene Peterson has an outstanding book based on these verses.
2Sam. 22:30 For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall (and repeated in Psalm 18:29).
Isaiah promises in that great passage that those who walk and wait for Yahweh will run and not become weary—along with renewed strength, mounting up like eagles, and walking without becoming tired. How could this running not be without joy!
Is. 40:31 but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
Paul uses this metaphor of running in 1 Corinthians 9 to describe the focused, purposeful, disciplined life of the disciple. Surely, there is joy here although I am not sure that I have ever heard anyone talk about the expression of joy that is exuded by this passage.
9:24-27 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. 25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26 So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. 27 But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.
Eric Liddel understood this kind of joy! As he said in the movie Chariots of Fire, When I run, I feel His pleasure
Joy overflows throughout the book of Philippians as Paul expresses his commitment to follow Christ in the metaphor of running.
Phil. 2:16 holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.
One doesn’t need to look far for joy here since in the next verses Paul describes how he is filled with joy and wants the Philippians to be joyful when their faith continues even if for Paul it means death.
17 But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice together with all of you. 18 And in the same way you also should be glad and rejoice together with me.
In Hebrews 12 we are exhorted to run the race that is set before us with faith and endurance.
Heb. 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
But as we do, we keep our eyes on Jesus who endured the cross—knowing the joy that awaited him.
I discover in physical therapy that I need joy. I need to recognize progress, rather than feel ashamed about what I still cannot do.
During a counseling session recently to help me deal with claustrophobic attacks that sometimes happen to me while flying, I described an event last July in which I almost became incapacitated when I put on a motorcycle helmet in order to jetski in Alaskan waters. I immediately ripped off the helmet when I felt a panic start to rise and felt our carefully planned trip to jetski to the glaciers begin to slip away. After a few minutes of slow breathing, however, I put back on the helmet, opened the visor and we headed out for a four hour trip across rough and deadly cold waters. It was not easy and I did take a break in the middle and took off my helmet.
After telling this story, my counselor was escatic. “That is a win! What a great story, she exclaimed! That is to be celebrated!” Where I had previously only seen weakness and potential failure, she saw something beautiful. Something which demanded joy!
Maybe your suffering and difficult times are teaching you patience, discernment, endurance/perseverance, and discipline? Joy and hope are also waiting. May you and I hold out for joy!
I Want to Run by Ashida is a favorite song on my running playlist. Hope you can listen to it. I cant find any videos with the lyrics but did find Lucy Spraggan’s fun video Run that captures a little bit of what I have been trying to say.
Thanks for the companionship!
Rejoicing in who you (and we) are becoming!