Be patient while you wait

"Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen. You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near." James 5:7,8 NLT

In a timely article titled, "How to Stand Running in the Heat. Everything you need to know about running in hot, humid conditions this summer" published by Runner's World magazine last summer, the writer said: Because of the heat and humidity, most people wouldn’t pick summer as their favorite season for outdoor exercise—walking and running included. Spring or fall normally wins that honor. But summer does have a lot going for it. More daylight before and after work means more time to get outside. What’s more, with all the swimming, lawn mowing, gardening, hiking, and vacations, it’s easier to be more active in the summer, so your fitness level is higher. In a further attempt to inspire runners to safely get outside, the writer listed ten tips to help us optimize our hot weather workouts, including my favorite, which happens to be the hardest one. Be patient: Give yourself eight to 14 days to acclimatize to hot weather, gradually increasing the length and intensity of your training. In that time, your body will learn to decrease your heart rate, decrease your core body temperature, and increase your sweat rate.

And you know, whether you and I are waiting for our bodies to adjust to the heat or waiting for the Lord to come back (as every believer should anxiously be doing), it’s absolutely crucial that we stand by patiently as James instructed us to. Why? Charles Spurgeon explains it this way, “A man to whom it is given to wait for a reward keeps up his courage, and when he has to wait, he says, ‘It is no more than I expected. I never reckoned that I was to slay my enemy at the first blow. I never imagined that I was to capture the city as soon as ever I had digged the first trench; I reckoned upon waiting, and now that is come, I find that God gives me the grace to fight on and wrestle on, till the victory shall come.’ And patience saves a man from a great deal of haste and folly.”

So keep your eyes on the clouds and your hands on the plow my friend. Work hard while you’re waiting, knowing that your work will be rewarded when Jesus returns to take us home. 

Heavenly Father, it’s so easy to get discouraged as we look around at the rapidly declining state of morality in our world. Help us to patiently work to win others to the foot of the Cross as we wait for You to come back Lord. Give us courage to fight the good fight until the day the trumpet blows. It’s in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!