A goal to aim for

In 1990 I undertook the "Coast To Coast Walk", created and made famous by the late Alfred Wainwright. The walk runs from St Bees Head on the west coast of England to Robin Hood's bay on the east coast, and takes in a rich variety of terrain and scenery. In the introduction to Wainwright's guide book to the walk, he writes:

One should always have a definite objective, in a walk as in life - it is so much more satisfying to reach a target by personal effort than to wander aimlessly. An objective is an ambition, and life without ambition is ... well, aimless wandering.

Yesterday was the 5th Leeds 10K, inaugurated by the inspirational late Jane Tomlinson, and continued since her death by her family. I have entered each one of the events, and never managed to complete the course in less than one hour. I was determined this year to try and beat the 60 minute barrier. My training over the year had gone fairly well. I have never been one to particularly enjoy running longer distances, but as my fitness has improved I have slowly begun to appreciate the runs more and more. Conditions yesterday were ideal for running, with some rain, and a fairly cool temperature. There is no doubt that joining with thousands of other runners, and being cheered on by people lining the route, was a great help and inspiration. I was beginning to run out of energy over the final 2 kilometres, but managed to keep going, and achieved a time of 55 minutes 52 seconds, with which I was highly delighted. Goal achieved!

There are lots of parallels one could draw between a 10K run and the Christian life. But the area which I have been thinking about relates to the whole issue of aims and goals. The difference is that in the Christian life it is God who, in a sense, sets our goals for us. The question is, are we listening to what he says, and are we up for the challenge. The good news us that he promises to be with us all the way, and give is the strength to reach the finishing line!