Sharing the Path

I’ve recently renewed my joy/pain of “running” outside. (If you ever saw the Iphone app that tracks my progress, you’ll know why I call it joy/pain and also why I put running in quotation marks. My pace really stretches the definition of running.)

If you pay attention, you’ll surely notice that runners often greet each other, especially when they’re running in opposite directions on the same path. Even when they pass other runners, there’s usually some kind of greeting, even if they’re both playing music. It might be a simple smile, tip of a hat or a “dude nod.” Some showboaters even muster the cardiopulmonary wherewithal to say “good morning” or “keep going, you’re almost done”. I’ve even heard of a Roman Catholic priest who blesses people as they run! How great would that be?

When I first started running, I have to admit, I made it a point to acknowledge as many runners as I could. I even extended the courtesy to walkers and bikers. Not because I’m a terribly kind person, but because if I ever were to collapse on the path, I thought people would be more likely to resuscitate me if they thought I was a nice guy.

All joking aside, I know the sense of community among runners is deeper than mere self-preservation. I think we acknowledge each other’s presence simply because we share the same path. The one that’s narrow,unforgiving and demanding. The one that tests our bodies and minds every time we run it. I think we have a mutual appreciation and respect for each other whether we’re marathoners, recreational runners, or guilt-ridden slow pokes like me. It doesn’t matter if we run a mile or twenty. We know that our bodies rebel against us. The wind tests us. Allergies confound us. Traffic frustrates us. Yet we still share that moment of shared community through hardship.

You would think that God’s people would feel the same sense of community as well. Theologically, we may be running in opposite directions of each other on any given topic that confounds us. Yet on the path of faith, those differences often seem insurmountable, unforgiveable, and un-shareable. Sometimes, we negate each other’s genuine experiences as “false”, “untrue” or “misguided”. Rather than respect each other’s commitment to run the course, we occasionally denigrate each other by being dismissive and giving up on each other. Rather, we often choose to run with people we know: those running in the same direction, at the same pace, to the same end and wearing the same clothes so that everyone knows we’re on the same team. Sometimes we even bully our brothers and sisters off the path, out of the Church or we abandon the path altogether because, “there’s just too many people on it today!”

I wish the followers of Christ could be more like runners who choose to share the path and give a slight nod of recognition and mutual admiration to each other, regardless of our differences. After all, as followers of Christ, we share the same narrow past, the one that sometimes feels torturous and endless. One that demands all that we have just to stay on it. Perhaps we could wish each other well on our shared, sacred journey to know God more intimately. Maybe we could even bless each other along the way.

PS - If you happen to see me collapsed on the path one day, please use my phone to call 911. Then please erase my run entry on my Iphone app. I don’t want it to ruin my stats.