I was in the recovery room following a knee replacement. “When can I start running again?” I asked the surgeon. “You can’t run anymore,” he replied.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a running fanatic (I’ve never experienced a “runner’s high”), but as I moved into my seventies, gravity and a sweet tooth were wreaking havoc on the body.

I was like, “What? Why not?” I was pretty sure Lynne had gotten to him while I was still sedated. She had been trying to get me to quit running for years, so I suspected some collusion.

I wasn’t ready for his response: “We only did a partial replacement, and it is a composite material that might fracture if you try running on it.”

Now I’m thinking, “What kind of cheap fix is that?” My twin brother Roger at least got the platinum whole knee replacement, and I got a partial one made of plastic! It reminded me of my home warranty company that did the least amount of repair possible to avoid replacing anything under warranty.

Fortunately for us Christians, God doesn’t do anything halfway. He looked down from Heaven, saw our damaged condition, and realized that a “partial replacement” wasn’t going to cut it. We needed a complete makeover.

The Apostle Paul tells us this: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17, ESV)

I’m running in a new race now.

“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, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith.” (Hebrews 12:1—2)

Everyone understands the need to have a healthy heart if you are going to run. My old heart wasn’t that great, at least not for running in this race. Buy God had a plan!

“And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” (Ezekiel 36:26)

It’s a heart specifically designed for a runner, but not just any runner. God has given each of us a unique runner’s heart for the race He has called each of us to.

Eric Liddell was a famous Scottish Olympic runner whose life was featured in the movie “Chariots of Fire.” During the 1924 Olympics, he declined to run in the 200-meter race because it was scheduled for a Sunday. Instead, he ran in the 400-meter race, which he was not favored to win, and ended up winning the gold medal. Liddell acknowledged his running ability as a gift from God. He once stated, “When I run, I feel His pleasure.”

Our race is not one of competition with other believers. It is a race to please the One who has called us to run before Him.

“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.” (1 Corinthians 9:24)

One thing I’ve learned over the years is that, like Eric Liddell, “When I run, I feel His pleasure.” Jesus is in fact the prize we run for. How are you doing in your race?

What say ye, Man of Valor?
Semper Fidelis!