"Jesus replied, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."" Luke 9:62 NIV
Jorge Cruz, 34, finished the Miami Half-Marathon in under two hours Sunday placing 1,361 out of 14,000 runners. And if that's not impressive enough, he did it while running backwards to raise awareness to the plight of Puerto Rico, which is still struggling to recover after Hurricane Maria. It seems that running backwards is not only good for bringing attention to situations people deem important though, backwards running (also called reverse running, retro running or retro locomotion) is also touted for its physical benefits because it works different muscles than forward running. Oddly enough, it's becoming so popular that the United Kingdom has held several backward running championships.
And while running backwards might be good for improving muscular balance, looking backwards is not always good as Jesus pointed out. You see, when He was teaching about what it meant to follow Him, He was met with many reasons why the men He encountered could not immediately do so. And to all these reasons Jesus replied, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the Kingdom of God." In other words, upon meeting the Savior, there could be no valid excuse for anyone to look back to attending to worldly duties in exchange for following Him and attending to heavenly duties. It was a clear reminder that Jesus demands our immediate, eager and total commitment - and anyone with a divided heart cannot properly do the work ministry requires.
Heavenly Father, thank you your Word that so clearly reminds us that getting caught up in the world takes our focus off of you. May we remember that anytime we do that, we are bound to fall. Help us to love you with our whole hearts Lord and to be consumed with serving you above all else. It's in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen.
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