Get some air

"For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever." 1 Thessalonians 1:16-17 NIV

In a new study published in Scientific Reports, it was suggested that the speed of elite runners comes not only from their forward momentum but their bounce, something they seem to have much more of than most runners, even those who are highly trained. Researchers had 10 sub-4 minute milers and 10 highly trained non-elite participants run on a treadmill outfitted with a pressure plate under the belt, which indicated the amount of time they spent in the air compared to in contact with the ground. They found that elite runners are in the air longer than non-elite runners, but it’s not because they’re pushing off from the ground at an angle. Instead, they bounce upward. The study’s lead author, Geoff Burns, Ph.D., a sport science postdoctoral research fellow at the Performance Research Lab at the University of Michigan, told Runner’s World the takeaway here is that elite runners have conditioned their bodies to behave as “stiffer” mechanical systems. And then added that runners who try to emulate this stiffness in their stride consciously should approach with caution. It’s not a matter of changing your stride to get more air; the whole body needs to work together in a specific way, rather than just a few parts of it. The gist of all this? Training "to get more air" is worth the time and effort. 

And you know what else is worth the time and the effort? Following Jesus no matter the cost. Why? Because the Bible tells us that the Lord is coming back for His church (that's you and me) and "with the trumpet call of God.. the dead in Christ will rise... " But here's where it gets good! "After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever." Talk about getting some air and speed! Those that remain faithful to Christ until the end will receive the ultimate reward of spending eternity with the Savior! Is that amazing or what? 

So go ahead and do some bounce training if speed is what you desire my friend. But if you desire to "be with the Lord forever," and I hope that is your greatest desire, train yourself in the Word each and every day so that at the proper time you will meet Him “in the air." Oh what a glorious day that will be!!

Heavenly Father, thank You for the blessed assurance that this world is not all there is. Help us to live each day as if it were our last so that we would be both bold in sharing the Good News and living ready for Your return. Oh Lord cause us to long for Your returning so we would live for You today. It's in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running !!!