Dropping in at my favourite sports store recently to look for a new pair of running shorts, I was told that new stocks had just arrived. “Exercise T-shirts and shorts have been snapping up like hotcakes,” the salesperson informed me. “You’d better not wait too long.”
Covid-19, it seems, had increased demand not just for masks and hand sanitisers, but for sportswear too. Indeed, I found many of the park connectors packed during the Circuit Breaker; perhaps more people were exercising as there wasn’t much else to do. With shops, restaurants, and cinemas closed, many of us felt so cooped up at home that a brisk walk, run, or cycle became a treat. Some may also have picked up the discipline of exercise after seeing that the best way to beat any disease is to have a strong and healthy body.
Reflecting on this phenomenon, I’m reminded of a booklet I just read. Going The Distance: Practices to Strengthen Your Faith encapsulates this truth found in 1 Timothy 4:8: “For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.”
Discovery Series
Going the Distance: Practices to Strengthen Your Faith
By Lisa Samra
Have you ever wondered why Scripture compares running to faith? They both require consistency and discipline to complete the journey. Join Our Daily Bread author Lisa Samra as she explores spiritual disciplines rooted in biblical truth. Learn how applying these practices to your life impacts your run towards the ultimate goal—becoming more like Jesus.
Its author, Lisa Samra, shares about how she decided to pick up running as a convenient and simple way of caring for herself amid her full and busy life as a mother of four children. But running didn’t come naturally to her, she says. “It took time for my body to acclimate to this new activity,” she writes. “I developed blisters. My legs were constantly sore. It was a challenge to stay motivated in the middle of a run.”
Despite the pain and aches, Lisa persevered, and slowly but steadily, she began to enjoy running. Along the way, she discovered many unexpected blessings, such as being able to keep up with her kids on long hikes. “I’ve also gained a new appreciation for the beauty and complexity of the times in Scripture the spiritual life is compared to going on a journey or running a race.”
Here’re some extracts from the 32-page booklet:
“Even if the thought of lacing up running shoes holds no appeal or hiking trails are not readily accessible, physical activity remains vital to us. Our bodies were designed to move. We experience greater health when we’re active. Similarly, our souls are the immaterial, eternal aspect of our humanity made in the image of God. We experience greater spiritual wellness—wholeness—as we engage with the One who created us.”
“Consider spiritual disciplines as the training exercises we do to live self-controlled, upright, and God-honoring lives. Spiritual disciplines can help keep us focused on Jesus, who provides us with strength when we are weary, offers guidance from God’s Spirit for the decisions of life, and pours out His grace to enable us to persevere.”
If you’ve ever wondered about how you can cultivate spiritual disciplines to help you stay strong in the Lord, I would highly recommend reading Going the Distance: Practices to Strengthen Your Faith. Just click on the title to download the booklet—it’s an easy read, with just six bite-size chapters that took me less than 10 minutes each. Perfect for a quick read before my daily run!
As Lisa encourages us: “As you explore these disciplines, allow God’s Spirit’s to help you creatively customize any suggestions to allow for your unique season of life and circumstances.”
To download Going the Distance: Practices to Strengthen Your Faith, just click here.
