There are few things in life more difficult than dragging one's butt out from under the warmth of a toasty down comforter, putting ten minutes worth of cold weather layered protection on, and then venturing out for a run directly into that dark, frigid, and often dangerous abyss which we call winter. In just a few months, it will be spring and the running will be easy. And simple. Maybe a t-shirt and shorts, typically bright sunshine and welcoming temps and always a smooth surface. But for now we endure the elements and make the daily, conscious choice to run in conditions that are never optimal. Some days it can be downright painful. The other morning I awoke to find myself in 3 degrees above zero (Cedar Falls, Iowa) and realized a few minutes into my run that if I wanted to continue seeing out my eyes and stay focused on the road ahead I would need to thaw the ice from my eye lashes.I turned around and ran backwards for a stretch, allowing my back to bear the brunt of the wind while I bought myself some time thawing the ice which had cystalized around my eyes.
I don't necessarily feel like running through the winter but I do it, because I know that it's good for me. I know that the discipline of daily running, the consistency of choosing to push myself physically will pay dividends. I also know that if ever took the winter off and only ran when conditions were optimal or when I felt like it, I'd pay a huge price for my neglect. Trying to start back up when spring rolled around would prove difficult and no doubt painful.
The unconditional choice to run in the winter is similar to the unconditional nature regarding how we are called to love. Love is a choice, not a feeling. It is not a knee-jerk reaction, but rather an initiated action - much like the intentionality required to set an alarm clock, respond to that alarm, get the layers on, and get out the door. People will say that they have fallen "out of love", but effectively they've chosen to no longer love. They've not lost the feeling, they've simply decided to no longer choose to love that person. Much like running in the spring, loving when someone is lovable or when we deem them "deserving" of our love is easy. Choosing to love someone when they've wronged us or are not treating us with the respect or dignity we believe we deserve - well that's kinda like running in the winter. Rarely easy, often painful, but absolutely necessary if we are to live by the calling of the One who chooses to love us unconditionally.
I know this much. The spring always comes. And that's what keeps me running through the winter - sometimes it's just about holding on, getting through and enduring these dark months. Relationships are no different. If you hold on and love unconditionally even when you don't feel like it, there's a pay-off. As I have learned through running, the ability to push through the winter and persevere always strengthens my resolve and makes for far better runs by the time spring rolls around. Believe.
"Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things" - 1 Corinthians 13:7
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