BLOODIED KNEES

                When I was in High School, I ran the two-mile race in track. Looking back, our coach put all of his emphasis on the sprinters and did very little to train the distance runners. His normal routine was to send us out on our own on a road run. At that time, the idea of wearing the correct shoes for each race was a new concept. Consequently, we all wore track spikes, no matter which race we were running. Track spikes are great for sprinters, but not so great for distance runners.

               Throughout my track career, I worked very hard, but I was not given much instruction about the best way to run my race. On one occasion, the coach sent us out on a road run on the dirt roads around the school. I laced up my track spikes and followed the leaders. Because I was not the best runner, I was always at the back of the pack, struggling to keep up with the others. As we crested a small hill, my track spikes caught in the rocks and I fell forward, landing on my knees and hands. Because I was at the end of the pack, no one noticed what had happened. They just kept running. I picked myself up, walked painfully back to the locker room, washed my wounds, and went home. I was back at practice the next day, but no one even noticed that I had left early.

                I have often equated the Christian life to running a long distance race. On Sunday, as I preached about what it means to be a child of God, I was convicted about my own struggles with sin. On this marathon race of faith, we all trip and fall from time to time. Most of us get up, brush ourselves off, and keep running. Much of the time we are nursing bloodied knees all alone. No one else knows about our fall. They all seem to be doing just fine, while we are in the spiritual locker room attending to our wounds.  

                It is all too common in the Church, as in the world, to put our focus on the spiritual sprinters, who always seem to be winning the race. We give little attention to the distance runners; the ones more at the back of the pack who are struggling to just keep up. If a sprinter falls, everyone knows. The spiritual medics are on the spot, getting the sprinter back up on their feet. If a distance runner falls, few people notice. They often attend to their wounds all alone. There are many reasons for this, but I know it to be true, because I have lived it.

                The Bible has several things to say to us about bloodied knees. First, we need to take responsibility for our falls. If we try to hide them or excuse them, we only set ourselves up to fall again. James was very straight forward about the need for us to the honest with ourselves and others. Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. (James 5:13-16) No one can help us bind up our bloodied knees, if they are unaware of them. We can unfairly get upset with others for not acting, when they were unaware of our need. It is important for all of us to have a spiritual confessor that we can go to regularly and reveal our bloodied knees.

                On the other hand, we all need to pay more attention to what is going on in other people’s lives. We may not know the specific issues that that person is facing, but we can be aware that something is amiss. It is not inappropriate to gently probe and seek to discover how we can help. Because, like my teammates in High School, we tend to be focused on our own race, we often miss the tumbles of others. Paul challenges us to intentionally be aware of how our teammates are doing. Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:1-2

                There is one more thing we can do for one another. We can help each other run the race better. I have run several distance races in the recent past. There are two things that have always helped me to run those races better. The first are the crowds cheering for me as I run by. During the Mankato Marathon, there are cheer teams stationed along the course. Every time I come to one of them, and hear them cheering me on, I get a new spurt of energy. Hebrews 12:1 puts this into a spiritual perspective for us. After the many champions of the faith have been listed in chapter 11, the author brings us into the picture. Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

                There is a second kind of encouragement that is even more powerful than those cheering from the sidelines. It is the encouragement from those running with us. On several occasions, as I hit a difficult place in a distance race, I have had a fellow runner come along side of me and encourage me to keep going. “You can do it! Don’t give up! You are going to make it!” If you are not a distance runner, it is hard for you to understand how those simple word, spoken by a fellow runner, can energize you. The very same thing is true in our spiritual race. When we are struggling with some hard spot in our race, having a fellow runner come along side of us can make all of the difference in the world. So Paul writes,  Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. (1 Thessalonians 5:11)

                We are all running a spiritual marathon. Along the way, we will trip, fall, and bloody our knees. Satan wants us to focus on those bloody knees and give up the race. Jesus comes along side of us, picks us up, and reminds us that He died for those bloody knees.

Psalm 103:8-14

    The Lord is compassionate and gracious,

        slow to anger, abounding in love.

    He will not always accuse,

        nor will he harbor his anger forever;

    he does not treat us as our sins deserve

        or repay us according to our iniquities.

    For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

        so great is his love for those who fear him;

    as far as the east is from the west,

        so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

    As a father has compassion on his children,

        so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;

    for he knows how we are formed,

        he remembers that we are dust.