I have a patch with the IronMan Triathlon symbol in the center. Around the outside it reads, “If you have to ask, you wouldn’t understand.” There’s a certain truth to that statement. I know; I’ve asked. I did one, and now I know. But it is something you can’t understand until you have been there and had a chance to look at it from the other side of the mirror, so to speak. 

 

This concept applies to more than just IronMan Triathlons. Last Saturday, as I leaned forward into 30-50 mph winds on a training run, I pondered how similar endurance training is to a relationship with Jesus. There’s a depth of experiencing Him that comes only as a result of having endured—regardless of the weather, regardless of pain, regardless of people’s glances, whispers and snide remarks. For me, it has come about slowly, through the wrestling matches I’ve had with Him over the years and in the moments of peace in between. In quiet reflection, I can see that I’ve experienced Him when we’ve been locked together in the fiercest of battles. Yet, at the end of each, when I finally submitted to Him and stopped struggling, I found myself experiencing the most powerful and loving embrace I’ve ever known. I’ve held long, lopsided discussions with Him on lonely running trails. In response, He’s woven His replies into the fabric of my life in different ways and at different times.