More Ultras Equals More Like Jesus

Some of you non-running folks might be reading the title and thinking, "Um...No! It makes me hate my life, possibly swear, impatient, and not a very nice person when I do it. That is definitely not like Jesus." That's fair. My husband would be, and has been, right there with you. (He doesn't run with me. It is bad for our marriage.) Even some of you running folks might be a little confused, "Last I checked Jesus was not even said to be a runner." You would be right on that count. The Bible does not say anything about Jesus running, but He did walk a ton. However, hear me out. Oh, my. I can't believe I just said something like my students. Jesus followers are called to be like Him. To imitate Him. "Yeah. What's your point?" What if we become more like Christ when we experience all types of feelings? Joy, pain, triumph, disappointment, love, relief, fear, anger, peace, etc. What if we become more like Christ and, arguably, more human and more ourselves (as C.S. Lewis explains in The Screwtape Letters) when we experience all of these and commune with God about them? 

One of my favorite accounts of Jesus' life on earth is his 40 days in the wilderness after His baptism and revelation as God's Son. There is actually very little detail given about most of His journey through the wilderness, except for His final experiences while being tempted by Satan. However, it doesn't take much to fill in some details. Wandering in the wilderness of ancient Palestine would have meant heat, rough terrain, little water, no amenities (not that there were many during that time period), no food, and dangerous animals. Dude! That sounds so much like ultra running. He most definitely would have felt loneliness and pain, possibly fear and worry, and maybe peace and sadness. Then during His time of temptation by Satan, would He have felt anger, disgust, or perhaps, disappointment? I cannot say exactly one way or another because the Bible does not state His emotional state, only His responses to the Accuser's temptations. But I believe that we can confidently infer that He felt relief, empowerment, and triumph when the Devil left Him and angels came to minister to His needs (Matthew 4:11). 

Ultra running is a unique endurance sport that takes every part of you to complete, especially the 50M and above. The number of emotions I experience in a single race is more than many people might feel in a week. It is honestly a bit insane, if I stop to think about it. In a single race I experience empowerment, defeat, loneliness, joy, pain, disappointment, love, relief, fear, anger, peace, triumph, awe, sadness, worry, disgust (did I miss any from Inside Out). And due to the remoteness of many of my races and because I am often in the lead pack, there is nowhere else to put my emotions than at the feet of Jesus. I do not run in silence, nor can I. I run with a prayer on my lips at all times, submitting every emotion to my loving God. 

The number of parallels I could make between Christ's temptation in the wildness and an ultramarathon is a bit uncanny. I think we can definitely all agree that Jesus was required to submit all of His human emotions to God during His time in the wildness. I mean how else does someone survive in the wildness? You can't just say "Because He's Jesus." He was fully human, too, you know. But I think another parallel rests in where each takes place. Jesus is led into the wildness. In Hebrew the word is "midbar". I just recently learned about this word on Bible Project's Podcast, and the root word of "midbar" is the word "dabar" which means "to speak" or "word" (Mackie). This association between words fascinated me (and also proves why English is such a boring language). You heard me! I am an English teacher. I can say what I want about it. I have to teach it. Throughout the Bible humans often escape to or are directly called into the wildness--a barren place of danger and trials. Sounds a lot like where I race. And there, God's voice is often the loudest. It is where all distractions are stripped away and nothing is left but the word of the Lord and reliance on it. As I race in the "midbar", this is the very thing that occurs. I commune with YAHWEH just as Christ did in the wildness. I can't help but do so. Sometimes it is the only thing getting me to the next aid station.  

By this point many of you will be protesting, "I am not becoming an ultrarunner!" Fair. I don't think everyone should. It is something you have to want and love. But I do think that each of us is called to be more like Jesus. We are called to place each emotion at the throne of God and commune with Him, often times in the wildness. This will look different for each person. I actively throw myself into these situations. Yeah. I am a masochist. However, I think the bigger point to be made here is to not resist these "midbar situations". Embrace them. I am not saying it is easy. Far from it. The wildness times of my life, the ones I don't choose, have often been the most grueling, the most shaping, the most depleting, but by far the most rewarding. It is where everything is stripped to allow for God to refine me, to make me more human and more like Himself. 

So, let's not hold the wildness at arm's length or run from it. Let's embrace it, knowing that in it God will speak to and remake us.