Do you remember being forced to run the mile in school? Maybe some of you remember that fondly and run regularly today. God bless you. The rest of us do not remember having fun running the mile!
In high school, I came in dead last my junior year, mostly because I didn’t run. I walked. While smoking cigarettes. (Yes, I got in trouble.) Running is hard.
Even walking can be difficult! I remember about 20 years ago during summer vacation, my mom was walking near a pond, stepped on a rock and literally turned her ankle 90 degrees. It was gross. Speaking of gross, my 12-year-old daughter began this summer hopping a fence and slicing her leg open, requiring 11 stitches. She had a difficult time walking. Walking is hard.
If I’m being honest, I’m not here to talk about actually walking or running, but rather using them as metaphors for life. If you’ve lived any length of time on Earth, I don’t have to convince you how difficult it is to walk or run through life. Life is hard. Like, really hard.
We all experience sickness, death, fear and anxiety. And, while I hope your summer has been peaceful, relaxing and chill, God knows how difficult and chaotic life will soon be. Those of us who are blessed to be parents will soon be dropping off and picking up kids every 19 seconds! We’ll all be running through life again soon – hopefully, without smoking too many literal cigs or breaking too many proverbial ankles!
As difficult as life can be for us grown kids, I’d argue our children have an uphill climb in life, too. It’s a scary world out there with a lot of scary influences, many of which do not want what’s best for our kids and would love for them to wind up with plenty of stitches in life, if you will.
That’s why I’m so thankful to work at a place like Peace Lutheran School, where we strive to keep in step with the Spirit of God, who helps us walk as the people God created us to be: People who are loving and joyful and patient and kind. The world desperately needs more people walking around like that.
As pastor and principal of Peace Lutheran School here in Saginaw Township, it’s a joy and a privilege to teach our students that life isn’t just difficult, it’s beautiful! It’s beautiful that you aren’t the result of some cosmic accident, but you were created on purpose for a purpose! It’s beautiful that your Creator loves you and forgives you. Life is beautiful and even fun when you keep in step with the Spirit of God, who lives in you and works through you. Our school theme verse for this upcoming year is, “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”
We’d love for you and your family to walk and run through life with the Spirit and with us at Peace! Check us out at PeaceSaginaw.org.
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