The other day, I went for a short run wearing a new pair of shoes. I estimate that, over the years, I’ve broken in close to 25 pairs of running shoes.
About 5 years ago, I wrote a post – Running Shoes and the Bible – in which I shared about my long history of wearing different running shoes over the past 45 years. I also compared the importance of using the right piece of equipment for physical fitness with the use of a Bible for spiritual fitness. In a related post, I wrote that my running shoes are among the 5 Things I Own That Most Contribute to My Health.
I selected these shoes because they fit my feet really well, the mid-sole had plenty of cushion, they had a good ‘bounce’ to them, and the blue and green colors are a favorite combination of mine. I typically would have chosen a more subdued color scheme, but I could not find one in the store that really met what I was looking for in terms of fit and feel.
As I slipped on the shoes for my first run, and headed out the door, they felt great. Unlike my older shoes I’ve been using, these did have a nice bounce or a spring to them. They were extremely comfortable. No longer do I have to use the old shoes with compressed rubber and no bounce. I have new shoes that I look forward to running in. The difference in my running experience between wearing my old shoes and my new shoes was like night and day. The new shoes made my running experience much more positive.
As is often the case, during my run I looked for an analogy between exercise and faith. As I started my run in the new shoes, the word ‘new’ immediately jumped out at me. And the verse that quickly came to mind follows.
Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! 2 Corinthians 5:17
Once we accept Jesus into our heart, we become a brand new person. Spiritually, we are brand new. God’s Spirit takes up residence in us. By His power and His guidance we can experience a very ‘new’ life and His Spirit enables us to experience life from God’s perspective.
I plan to never run in my old worn out shoes again. (I might work in the garden wearing them though!) They are a thing of the past.
Just as I try to workout physically on a regular basis, I try to work out spiritually on a daily basis. These daily spiritual workouts help me to experience the new creation that I am in Christ. And, as a reborn child of God, one spiritual exercise I engage in is to ‘set my mind on things above’ – on what the Spirit of God desires from my life. “Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.” Romans 8:5
This mindset and other spiritual exercises will enable me to live a new life – a full life – that Jesus died for me to experience.
Related Resources
Blog Post – Work Out Your Salvation – Health Devotional: Philippians 2:12
