The God Who Slows Down To Run With Me

Kelly suggested that I post this here as well as on my running site...

Last night at our interval workout I ran the first of my sets alongside Alisa Harvey. You may be asking, "Who's Alisa Harvey?" Alisa is the world record holder of the indoor masters mile, and the US record holder for the masters 800 and mile outdoors, 800 and 1500 indoors. Alisa has attained a level of athletic performance that I will never come close to achieving.

So what happened last night? Did I speed up so I could run with the best in the world? Not exactly, Alisa graciously slowed down to allow me to run alongside her (she headed off with some faster runners about half way through our second set). But for a few minutes I was running around the track with the best in world!

There is a another story about the best in the world slowing down to be with us. It is the story of God becoming human in Jesus. It is the story of God walking alongside us, working with us at our pace, gently guiding, encouraging and pushing us to be become more like Christ. A transcendent God, one who is wholly other, would be impossible for humanity to comprehend, or develop an intimate relationship with. So God, who is transcendent, became imminent in the person of Jesus, so humanity could experience redemption, develop an intimate relationship with God and have great hope for the present and the future.

The God who stated that no one could gaze on His face and live, the God of whom Isaiah cried, "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips... and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty" is now running alongside us as Jesus says, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him." (John 14:6-7)

Will you acknowledge the presence of Jesus running alongside you today?