Racing with freedom
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.
As I made my way back home, I made two phone calls that helped me immensely. The first was to my wife, who is also a Christian Scientist. She reminded me that God was right there at that moment and I could trust in His care. The second call was to a Christian Science practitioner. She reminded me that God is the only power and encouraged me to “become conscious for a single moment that Life and intelligence are purely spiritual,—neither in nor of matter,—and the body will then utter no complaints” (Mary Baker Eddy, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 14 ). In addition, she said that if it was my divine place to reflect God at the race, then there was no power on earth that could stop that from happening.
A feeling of peace came over me. The thought that God was in control replaced my fear. As I hung up the phone, I heard the following words in my thought as if someone next to me were saying them: “You will race on My wings.” It was a powerful moment. At the time I was sitting on the bed with an ice pack on my still-hurting calf. I quickly realized that I did not need to care for my leg in any material way and stopped using the ice pack. My job was to trust—to trust that all things are possible with God, that I was not material, and that I could compete in the race as planned. The next morning, although slightly stiff, I could walk without any limp or pain. The next evening was beautiful, and I was wishing I could go out for a short run but thought it unwise to put that kind of pressure on my leg. Then I immediately got the thought, “Trust.” With that, I slipped on my running shoes and ran slowly at first, then faster, then full speed. No pain! I was speechless. Despite the good feeling, I was worried that my leg would not hold up under the pressure of running after biking in real race conditions. Once again, “Trust” immediately came to my thought.
On the morning of the race, as everybody was lining up to start the swim, I prayed to know that I reflect God. Before each race I like to come up with a short statement that I repeat to myself during the most difficult times of the race. On this day what came to me was “Trust in God.” The gun to start the race went off, and I truly felt as though I raced on God’s wings. Only once did I notice a twinge of pain in my calf, which I immediately countered with “Trust in God.” As I passed the finish line, I stopped to thank God. I truly felt as though He had carried me the entire way. What was even more humbling was that I placed second overall for my age group. I was again speechless. I thought back to six days earlier, when I was on the ground wondering how I would get home. To now be standing on the podium was a moment I will never forget. With God all things really are possible!
I am so thankful for Mary Baker Eddy, and to Christian Science for the healings that it brings to us all.
Lloyd Hubbard
Highland Park, Illinois, US
