Testimony of Healing October 14, 2013 Issue

Racing with freedom

Lloyd Hubbard

One of my favorite sports is the triathlon. The challenge of combining swimming, biking, and running into one compact event is exhilarating. Each aspect of the race reminds me of God at work—swimming for its grace, biking for its balance, and running for its joy. The training is extensive, since each discipline must be focused on continually, and often consecutively, mimicking a race condition. One such training practice is called a “brick” because you stack one training event on top of the other like bricks in a building.

One day I planned to do a hard bike ride immediately followed by an easy run. The bike ride went well, but ten or 15 minutes into the run, I suddenly felt a sharp pain in one of my calves. I took one or two more strides as I was slowing, and then my leg completely gave out. I was immediately on the ground and in extreme pain. It was so bad that getting up was hard, and walking was almost impossible. I thought it could mean a long-term injury, and certainly no racing or training for an extended period. I had several races scheduled, with the first one planned in only six days. I was mentally crushed—months of training lost in a moment. 

As I sat there wallowing in discouragement, I reached to stop my watch timer and noticed the bracelet I wear. It says, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart—with God all things are possible.” It is a combination of two quotes from the Bible, one from Proverbs (3:5) and one from Jesus (Matthew 19:26). I have always loved this promise, and I read it before every workout or race because it reminds me that when God is at the forefront of thought, it is possible to break free of matter’s seeming bondage. Even though I felt miserable at that moment, reading these words once again planted the seed of hope in my thought.

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