Faster, Higher, Stronger: Spiritual Aerobic Exercise

This is the 5th of a series of Olympic-themed sermons. The title of the sermon series, "Faster, Higher, Stronger" is the English translation of the Olympic motto: Citius, Altius, Fortius. Today’s question is: Where and how are our struggles won?

Are they won by force of will—rising to the occasion when the struggle is the hardest?

Are they won by doing nothing--trusting God to pull a miracle?

Are they won beforehand—in prayer and preparation when we can think more clearly?

Today’s Olympic athlete was never an Olympic champion, although he was the preeminent U.S. distance runner and 8-year world record holder in his prime. Kansas high-schooler Jim Ryun in 1964 was the first high school miler to break a four-minute mile, and to this day he remains the only high school junior to have done so. As a senior, his 3:55.3 was the U.S. record and it remained the U.S. high school record for 36 years. This was the last time an American male high school track athlete set a U.S. record. As a high-school junior, Ryun qualified for the 1964 Olympics at 1,500 meters, but was eliminated in the semi-finals. Running for the University of Kansas, Ryun was the 1967-1969 NCAA indoor champion and the 1967 NCAA outdoor champion in the mile; in 1968, he was the NCAA outdoor champion in the 2-mile as well. Recovering from mononucleosis, Ryun nevertheless garnered a silver medal in the 1968 Olympics in the 1,500-meter race. Beforehand he had predicted that 3:39 would be good enough to win in the high altitude in Mexico City. He ran 3:37.8, but lost to Kenya’s Kip Keino.

We had thought that 3:39 would win and I ran under that. I considered it like winning a gold medal; I had done my very best and I still believe I would have won at sea level ... I didn't get any credit for running my best and no one seemed to realize that Keino had performed brilliantly.

In the 1972 Olympics in Munich, Ryun was tripped during a qualifying heat in the 1,500-meter run and did not finish. He remains, possibly, the best American track star to never win Olympic gold.

To this day, Ryun remains legendary for his workouts. As a high school senior, he routinely ran 85-100 miles per week, and in preparation for the 1972 Olympics, he pushed himself up to 120 miles per week. A typical Ryun high school workout might consist of running 440 meters in 60.5 seconds or less (i.e. fast enough to qualify for the Maine state track meet) … 20 times … with only a 1-minute rest between each!

Hebrews 12:4-13

Commentary

discipline. Based on word repetition, is there any doubt about the major theme? The word appears in the NIV 10 times as either a noun or a verb. The word refers to the instruction of a child; as a blank slate, a child cannot be expected to know right from wrong and must be corrected, perhaps painfully, when necessary.

The passage is notable for two other things:

(1) It quotes Proverbs twice. v5b-6 quotes Pr. 3:11-12, while v13a quotes Pr. 4:26; both chapters of Proverbs urge the child to trust godly wisdom instead of trusting in the world, or trusting in self.

(2) We are given a set of contrasts from which to deduce God’s wisdom:

v5-6 scorning discipline vs. accepting it;

v7-8 enduring discipline as a legit child vs. missing discipline as a bastard;

v9-10 discipline by human vs. godly fathers;

v11 immediate vs. delayed fruits of discipline.

Application

As a track and cross-country coach, runners frequently complain, "Coach, I’m really tired." My response is usually, "That’s good; now you’re ready to get some work done." For any kind of distance training, the logic is more or less the same:

burn up your energy reserves,

then concentrate on specific workouts targeted to improve: increasing oxygen capacity & processing; increasing tolerance of lactic acid waste; relaxing the body under stress; or improving speed & strength.

Technically speaking, not all of these are aerobic conditioning, but the point is this: most training happens after you have been stressed a bit and worked up a sweat—that is the physical state where the real training can start.

Nevertheless, every year there is a kid who doesn’t get it—a kid, usually a nice kid, who says, "Coach, I cannot run today. I’m sore, I’m tired, I just can’t do it." They’re not hurt or injured; they’re not sick; but every day they have an excuse why they cannot run the whole workout.

Generally speaking, at the high school, cross-country and track are not cut sports. Show up; keep your nose clean; do the work; get a letter. It’s simple. I’m happy to coach all the kids, regardless of ability. However, the athlete who consistently opts out of the workouts has effectively opted off of the team; I didn’t cut the athlete, the athlete (if one can be called that) has cut himself/herself.

It’s the same when God trains us. Spiritual training has nothing to do with what we can do on our own power; spiritual training happens when our reserves are spent and we have to rely on God. What will the Spirit have us do now?

Some training is tiring, but doable, like forgiving someone over and over (Matthew 18:21-22).

Some training is hard at first, but becomes easier as we do it more, like
giving (2 Cor. 9:6-11).

Some training is hard and gets harder as the stakes go up, like martyrdom (John 21:18-19).

Just as I can only coach when athletes are ready to follow direction, God is only able to be the kind of father that trains his children when his children are ready to follow him. Those who refuse to follow are not illegitimate children because God wants nothing to do with them; they have become illegitimate because they want nothing to do with him.

Where and how are our struggles won? They are won during practice. They are won during the mindless repetition of mundane trials we come to handle unconsciously. They are won during focused periods of more intense trials that strengthen us and increase our capacity to handle trials. The will, the desire, that counts is not the fire in the belly during competition—it is the desire that shows up every day for practice.

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.

Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;

but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles;they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 40:29-31

Points to Ponder

At first glance, v12-13 appears to refer to Isaiah 40:3-4 (and Mark 1:3, et al):

A voice of one calling:

In the desert prepare the way for the Lord; make
straight in the wilderness a highway for our God.

Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, 
the rugged places a plain.

Read Proverbs 4 and Isaiah 40. Does the preparation of a level path serve the same purpose in each? Which seems to fit better with today’s passage?

How much does the discipline, or training, in today’s passage depend on God, and how much does it depend on you? What parts depend solely on God? What parts depend solely on you?