Parable of the Workers in the Field & what running teaches me about grace

I used to be a runner. Not a jogger, but a runner. 70+ miles a week. 7:00 miles as my easy day pace. Sub 3:00 marathons as standard business. That was a long time ago. In those days, I remember seeing "joggers" at races and feeling both a sense of pity and disdain. How could they call what they were doing 'running?' Wasn't it kind of sad they got all excited trotting home in their pathetically slow times? What is even the point of entering a 'race' if one is that horribly slow? Should they be allowed to wear the same race t-shirt as those of us who beat them home by 10-20 minutes? I used to jog back out the last couple miles of the course on my cooldown and think these (and other) uncharitable thoughts about the stragglers coming in.

I also used to dislike the Parable of the Workers in the Field found in Matthew 20. Seriously. I knew it must have some worth since it was in the Bible and all, but I totally related to the workers who get pissed off in it. They were the ones that showed up at the start of the day and put in a hard day's work and got the pay they agreed to. They are furious because a bunch of slackers that come along late in the afternoon and work for an hour got the same amount of pay. These slackers didn't deserve a full day's pay! I didn't want to admit it, but I really resonated with them and couldn't figure out just why Jesus thought they had a bad attitude.

Well, a few things have happened in the intervening years. From a running standpoint, I've kind of fallen apart. I've developed some arthritis in my right hip that significantly limits its range of motion and causes various muscular problems. And, I'm a good deal bigger now than when I ran all those miles at sub 7:00 pace. Spiritually, I've failed a lot more now than in my early days as a Christian. I've discovered that my ability to "get it right" spiritually, is virtually non-existent. I've had ministry failures in Young Life, seen relationships gone bad, and witnessed first hand the ways in which my selfishness and weakness can hurt my wife and children.

I'm not sure when it happened, but somewhere around a decade ago, I started using the Parable of the Workers in the Field in youth ministry talks and Bible studies. And, using it because I loved it. "We are all 5:00 workers, aren't we? That's the beauty of it. None of us are the all-day workers, even if we think we are." The parable hadn't changed, but I, and my understanding of myself in relationship to it certainly had. No longer was it a parable that I just had to grit my teeth and deal with even though it wasn't fair. It had become a beautiful story of God's mercy to all of us!

So, I ran a 6.5 mile trail race yesterday. I went out right at the pace I intended, made a bit of a move at the half-way point, and timed my push just right so that I hit the finish line just as I ran out of energy. And, I ran about 5 seconds per mile under 10:00 pace! It was a really challenging course, but I'd be lying if I said I'd have run a ton faster on a flat course.

You see, I have become the runner I used to disdain. This 6.5 mile run was the longest I've run in 2 years. A year ago, I missed 2 months of the summer not running at all as I did physical therapy for my arthritic hip. My goals going into the race yesterday were, "Don't get hurt. Finish. If possible, run all the hills. Enjoy the beauty of Forest Park (here in Portland, OR)." I met all of my goals. I felt great about the morning and my performance! I saw a few young, light studs jogging back out the course chatting easily as they cooled down at a pace faster than I was running as I lumbered home. But, I know something they don't know (yet). I know that it is all gift. It is all grace. Even, my lumbering 10:00 miles.

I am now a 5:00 worker, both in my spiritual life and in my running and that is a very good thing to be.