The day was Saturday, July 20th, 2013 at 6:38am and I started out on an 11 mile run. The forecast called for rain but I needed to stay on my training plan. That morning I left the house, headed north down Switzer Rd. and was going to catch the trails back west and loop back home. When I started running west down 119th St. from Switzer, I was stopped in my tracks by a glorious site, a full, bright rainbow. This one was a little different from most that I've seen in my life. It was ahead of the storm and not after it and it was truly horizon to horizon. Amazing, truly amazing! I stopped just west of Switzer (only a few miles into my run) to capture this imagine with my phone. After some pictures I kept going on my run. Immediately a wave of love and peace overcame me. Here I was all alone on this summer morning and God was displaying for me His powerful beauty and His covenant with us. I wanted to run with my hands lifted high to Him. I was filled with energy and peace. I could run towards this view forever.
For the next 2-3 miles I stared at this rainbow. For the next few miles a few tears ran down my face because I was overwhelmed by what was happening in that moment. Full, bright, colorful, and stretching from horizon to horizon this wondrous miracle gave me life. Again I stopped to take it in and capture this image on my phone and at that instance I saw this rainbow as a finish line gate. You might be familiar with a finish line gate. At the end of a race or course there is an arch or sign that marks the end. This rainbow became a symbol in that moment of the ultimate finish line - Heaven! God used our alone time and His world to show me Him and what I should run towards in my life. Wow, was this a great run!
I hadn't even realized I covered 3 miles by the time I had to turn and run toward the sunrise because my mind was so involved in the atmosphere that my eyes were taking in. That was a few miles I will never forget! On a small side note it was supposed to be hot that day so I got out early to finish my run. God provided some cooling rain on my 11.5 mile run that day. He sure was good to me and He always is.
The Rainbow Run has been on my mind ever since then. On that day God pulled me from my routine and showed me His power and plan for me. He wants me to run towards Him in everything that I do. He wants me to be powered by His beautiful love and know that at the end of my race, He will be waiting there with arms open wide.
Many months later I was running on the treadmill working through how I would share with others this experience. As I talked to myself and ran, I glanced down and noticed that my running shoes were red. Why shouldn't they be?! That's how they were when I bought them. Well, they were red and in that moment I was reminded that Jesus' blood too was red.
Being an eternal optimist I can easily be powered by something positive and mostly live with my head up and my eyes forward. But life for me isn't always that way and sometime things get tough. Sometimes I'm tired and worn out. Sometimes my head is hanging in defeat or failure. Sometimes I'm on the ground exhausted and beat up from life with tears consuming me. At those times it's tough to see the rainbow, the beauty of God, because my chin isn't up and my eyes are closed. At those times, how am I supposed to push through the pain without being able to see the love God has for me? My red shoes gave me that answer. Jesus took on the sins of this world that day on the cross. His pain and suffering was so great I will never know such agony. And He did it for me. He did that for you. His blood was poured out so that I can live through the struggles of sin and pain and one day reach him at the end of my race. When I'm worn out and hurting, it is now my goal to try and remember His sacrifice that day on the cross. I want to be carried through my valley by Him.
So, every time you see me run now, I'll probably have on red shoes or a red shirt or at least something red. Because when I'm running my race, although I would have trained and planned to focus on the that beautiful finish line gate, there will be times that I hit the wall. I will hurt, I will be tired, I will cramp up, I will stumble and fall. And, in those moments I will probably lose site of the beauty of my God. But, when my head hangs down and I see those red shoes, I will remember that it is a symbol of God's love and promise. He is there to carry me when I'm down. He died so that I may live in this painful world. He will carry me and give me the energy to again see His beauty. At that point I will continue towards the "finish line" where there will be pain no more. A finish line with celebration like no other. Angels will be there clapping and singing to see me cross that line. We will party and sing and dance and shout and jump because I will have arrived. I can even imagine Jesus will join me on a run in heaven one day. He'll be fast, there's no doubt about that (He's also omnipresent so that will be hard to beat too), but if I'm right, He'll let me beat Him every time. Why would He do that? Because He loves me so much that He will put me ahead of himself. How do I know that? Because He's done it before on cross upon a hill. And on that day there was much more at stake yet He still thought of me first! Oh what a beautiful day!
This is amazing and inspiring Shay! Powerful words. Powerful evidence of Christ's love for us!
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