Student Ecumenical Partnership

Run fast and walk slow

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. - Hebrews 12:1

And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? - Micah 6:8
It is a strange day when I, an uncoordinated child of the suburbs, use athletic metaphors, but something caught me about the contrast of these passages.

Katie BlaisdellThe first calls us to demonstrate, without shame or boredom or sloth, that God is doing something in our lives. It calls us to live justly and boldly and proudly to show the people around us that God is in the world and in us and we are grateful for that gift and pleased that it was bestowed upon us. It calls us to action in the faith of purpose, and reminds us that to do otherwise would be an embarrassment to the potential God places in each of us. Run fast and exuberantly, for you have a good reason to.

And then the second comes, to remind us that in our search for righteousness, God calls us to remember the gift of the spirit that is humility. Remember that there are others around you who cannot run so fast and travel nearer to God for it. Work to make the lives of those around you better, but do it quietly, with a love of peace. Walk slowly and remember that God is a God of grace.

Despite the fact that in general, I do not run unless someone is chasing me, I work my life much more like the Hebrews passage. I feel like there is something to do, and if I keep running I will reach my goal, and prevent myself from looking down and realizing I'm not all that sure where I'm headed some of the time. I'm proud of the work I do and feel pretty good about doing it.

The humility part is harder. The quiet, meditative walk I prefer in my physical life does not always play out on my (self-)important to-do list. God walks with me in the form of so many people in my life, and I need to remember to be humble before the God in each of those people. I must work for justice, daily, and with great focus, and the awareness that it is not my own specialness, but God at work in me as in those around me.

And in case I forget again tomorrow while running the race of the active college student, at some point, that song will be stuck in my head, and I will be reminded just what the Lord requires of me.

Katie Blaisdell is a member of the Student Ecumenical Partnership (STEP) Leadership Team and is a member of Hilo Church United Church of Christ in Hilo, Hawai'i, and First Christian Church in Concord, California.