“At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them. But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” 2 Timothy 4:16-18 NIV
Billy Halloran knows the woods well in Myoko, Japan; he goes there for regular walks, runs, and even raced an ultramarathon through its rugged wilderness. But two weeks ago, he was running for his life in the same woods – after being attacked by a bear.
Halloran was on one of his routine runs in early October when he saw something he’d never encountered before: two Asiatic black bears.
He immediately knew he was in trouble. Bear attacks have been rising across Japan, with more than 100 people injured so far this year and at least seven killed, the highest since records began in 2006. One recent deadly attack took place just a few miles from where he lives.
Now, he was alone on the trail, kilometers away from where he’d parked his car, contemplating how to escape the two bears staring at him from bushes less than 30 meters away.
When he tried backing away slowly, one bear began moving toward him, said the 32-year-old originally from Auckland, New Zealand. “It was around my size, it was an adult, it was at least 60 or 70 kilos (about 132 to 154 pounds),” he said.
Halloran decided not to run, afraid it would chase and jump onto him from behind. So instead, he tried to scare it off by shouting. “I could see it was going to lunge at me – and it did.”
He held up his arm in front of his face, “and it grabbed my arm, and I got pushed to the ground,” Halloran said.
“Then in one bite, my arm was done.”
The bear then attacked his leg, leaving claw punctures and scratches, before it backed off. Running on adrenaline, Halloran managed to get up, then engaged in a brief “standoff” with the bear – before it disappeared back into the bush…
He spoke to CNN from the hospital where he’s been recovering for the past two weeks, having had three surgeries – including a hip graft to cover a chunk of bone that had been bitten off, and the insertion of metal plates into his arm.
A long road of recovery still awaits, including physical rehabilitation. After his last ultramarathon, he’d been hoping to train for more races – and still plans to – but knows it won’t be the same as before. But he’s determined to get back to running in the woods, crediting the local community of runners that have supported him throughout his recovery. And he feels fortunate, he said, because “there’s been a lot of attacks, and some people haven’t been so lucky.”
Wow, right? As this story illustrates, a person’s life can change quickly. Billy had no idea that a “routine” run would be anything but routine that day. And while he can’t go back and change what happened, he’s doing the next best thing in light of the circumstances. He’s refusing to be bitter about the situation, is remaining hopeful, and is determined to get back to running.
This refusal to give in to bitterness is the same decision the apostle Paul made throughout his ministry as we can see in his last letter to young Timothy (a pastor and Paul's son in the faith) that was written while Paul was in a Roman prison awaiting execution for His unwavering service to the Lord. Throughout Paul’s life, we know that he endured many trials and hardships, never wavering from his mission to preach the Word as He was called to do.
And yet, when faced with persecution and pain for his faithfulness, Paul refused to become bitter about it. He never threw up his hands and said, “Why is all this bad stuff happening to me?” On the contrary, Paul recognized that God had sovereign control over his life and his life’s circumstances. And, even in the end when facing death, said “May it not be held against them” when he recounted how his friends had deserted him in his time of need. Paul was determined to press on and continue running to the finish line—something that being bitter over his circumstances (and/or the people who caused it) would not have allowed.
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28
And because of this attitude that displayed his complete trust in the promise of Romans 8:28, Paul was confident that God would continue to work ALL things for his good, would never leave his side, and would continue to give him the protection and strength to finish the fight and complete the race before bringing him safely into the heavenly kingdom. For that Paul could say, “To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”
So, if your life seems to be filled with trials and troubles no matter how faithful you've been, hang in there my friend. Believers in Jesus Christ have the promise that God will work all things for their good-- and for that, we must choose NOT to be bitter about our circumstances, but to trust that God is in complete control so we can press on instead. This will not only free us up to run with endurance but will inspire others to do the same.
Lord, thank You for reminding us that believers are not free from experiencing the troubles of this world. On the contrary, we know that serving You with our whole hearts will only cause us to come against more opposition. Help us to rejoice in our trials knowing they are producing the perseverance we need to keep running the race when life’s changes threaten to bring us down or tempt us into giving in to bitterness. It’s in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen.
Happy Running!
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