Running on...

Yesterday I went for my first run after the marathon on Saturday. It was just a 5k followed by a mile walk, but that is the soonest I've run anything following a marathon. And I felt great! No pain, soreness, stiffness or anything! It was easy to smile, and while I wasn't intending to push myself I still managed about a 9:30 pace.

So... I'd really like to try for this marathon in November. I'm not much of a cold-weather runner though, so we will have to see how it goes. I will likely just shoot for an 8-10 mile run this weekend, and then alternate mid-to-long runs up until early November.

***

Otherwise, things are pretty much just a muddled mess in the world as far as I'm concerned.

I did not watch the first presidential debate. I rarely have watched them. I especially wanted nothing to do with this one. And I'll be honest... DT repulses me! He always had - even when he was just a celebrity. There is absolutely nothing he could say or do at this point to change my mind about who I will vote for. Maybe I'm wrong, but I just can't. And this whole thing of "it's about the policies not the man"... Pfft. Seriously?!? The position of President of the United States is too big a role and requires too much responsibility. Besides, there is no amount of policy (if he even had any) that could make up for what he lacks.

Anyway... I say all that and... my devotions this morning was the Good Samaritan passage. Yeah, I know. I don't feel particularly neighborly right now, and it's tempting to think to myself, "I know, I should show DT some mercy." However, I think it's possible to show mercy but still maintain a sense of integrity about who qualifies for a position of leadership. So while I need to work on how I feel about him personally, it doesn't change whether I think he should be president or not.

As I finished reading the Good Samaritan passage in about 12 different Bible translations, I finally opened up Facebook. Wouldn't you know what the very first thing on my newsfeed was:

"Forgiveness is the name of love practiced among people who love poorly. The hard truth is that all people love poorly. We need to forgive and be forgiven every day, every hour increasingly. That is the great work of love among the fellowship of the weak that is the human family." - Henri Nouwen, You Are the Beloved

I love that quote. I've shared it many times on my own feed. But... dang... that is really difficult.

So I spent the next couple hours chewing on these two fine pieces of literature (and thought). I started several Facebook posts about one or the other or both... and finally just decided to write here...

It seems so... impossible. Can America survive DT? Will it be better or worse if he is replaced? I can't imagine him in a 2nd term, but I also can't imagine what his maniacal followers will do if/when he is replaced.

And then I think about running. You know, there was a time when the idea of me running a marathon seemed impossible. Let alone me running TWO marathons in the same year! So, I guess there's a lesson to be found.

Things look pretty dark in the world right now. It may take a lot of little acts of forgiveness and being neighborly (training in righteousness)... But perhaps it is possible after all.

***

One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question: “Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?”

Jesus replied, “What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?”

The man answered, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

“Right!” Jesus told him. “Do this and you will live!”

The man wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

Jesus replied with a story: “A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road.

“By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side.

“Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.’

“Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked.

The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.”

Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”

(Luke 10:25-37)