The One thing

I became a statistic recently. Whoever said running was not a contact sport was not with me a couple of weeks ago.

They say the emergency room treats over 24,000 runners every year due to accidents. My ego was probably more bruised than anything else but praise the Lord for band aids, gauze and medical tape because that’s what has been holding me together.

The Blonde (my wife Jennifer) makes a pretty good nurse and I’m thankful for her. I have not had a bloody nose since my older brother bloodied it when I was 15. I’m sure I deserved it.

I had an old guy in my church tell me years ago, “You can look where you drive or drive where you look.” That was my problem. I was not looking where I was running.

I guess I was suffering from anxiety. I’m not sure what the definition is but I was worried, overly consumed and concerned about stuff.

I get what Jesus told Martha in Luke 10:41, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary.”

My testimony is that multi-tasking and running are not a good combination. I was distracted for sure. I was thinking about COVID-19, church, sermons, people that are hurting, my Pandora station (grumbling about all those cotton picking commercials) and wondering why Chris Tomlin sold out.

Martha was suffering from anxiety, she was struggling with priorities, bad decision making and frustration (anger) about why her sister was not helping her in the kitchen. Then Jesus told her only one thing is needed. This reminds me of the movie City Slickers when Curly tells Mitch, “It’s just one thing.” We all have to figure out what is the “one thing.”

Jesus talked about the “one thing” in Matthew 6:33, “…seek first the kingdom…” Then He said, “… do not be anxious…”

In other words, when we put Jesus (the one thing) first everything else falls into its proper order.

Harriet Tubman was an American abolitionist born into slavery and started what was called the Underground Railroad. We give her credit for saying, “I freed a thousand slaves. I could have freed a thousand more if only they knew they were slaves.”

That quote always makes me think about how many of us are “enslaved” by different things that keep us distracted. Things that keep us from what we know is priority, good, right and best.

I’m no longer distracted when I run. I set my Pandora station. Make sure my laces are tight and my eyes are on what’s in front of me. Running with focus is a lot easier than following Jesus and I’m still a work in progress but I’m committed to being committed to the One thing.

He told me to tell you that.