Day 61 – Hitting the Wall

Yesterday, I decided it was time to push from six miles to seven.  I set out early with full determination and I failed.  When I finished six miles, I hit a wall.  I could not make my legs or my mind move an inch further.  People who run had told me this would happen, but once I got past the shin splints, I thought I could just keep adding one mile every week or so – no problem.  I was discouraged and wanted to give up this whole endeavor.  Yes, I had made to six miles – a life time best -  maybe that was enough.  Maybe I had lost my mind thinking I could run a half marathon.  May this was impossible – at least for me.  Upon reflection, I think that is often how we understandably are when attempting to change the realities of poverty.  When we hit the wall; when we fail; we take that as a sign that there is nothing more that we can do – the problem is too big for us and we resign ourselves to six miles – after all that is all we can do.  It makes me think of a passage in the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Church at Ephesus.  In this passage, he tells the Christians in this congregation to equip themselves for a struggle – the struggle to overcome that which is evil in the world – that which is not of God, that which is separated from God’s original and redemptive intention for humanity, the earth and its creatures – poverty, marginalization, invisibility, oppression, the misuse of power, exclusion, etc.  Then his letter says, this, ”and having done all, stand.”  Sometimes we have to stand at the wall; stand firm in our position; until the wall either moves or comes down.  When we have done everything we think we can possibly do, humanly speaking, God calls us to stand in the gap between present reality and the goal of bringing into being God’s future, until the gap begins to close.  At times it feels overwhelming to me – this crazy idea that I could do anything that really matters on behalf of my new friends in El Salvador – and in those moments, God calls me to stand in the gap until 7 miles, then 10 miles, then 13 miles, then 26 miles, then 52 miles, becomes a reality and until together we begin – one dollar, one mile, one marathon, one community at a time – to close the gap between the present reality and God’s future for all people, the earth, and its creatures – until all are welcome at the table of God’s abundance as family, in body, mind, and spirit.  Stand with me until we all are running in the same direction – toward hope.

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