Are you a βrunnerβ?Β Well, that may change after today. (Trust me. Itβs a good thing. Keep reading. You’ll be happy you did.?)
You see, since I was a teenager, Iβve βrunβ off and on over the years for many reasons. Cutting weight, increasing stamina and endurance, lowering my blood pressure, clearing my mind, blowing off frustration and emotional steam. And while Iβve βrunβ many, many times, it dawned on me a while back that the term βrunningβ is actually the farthest term from the truth to describe what we are doing. Think about it. Why do you βrunβ?Β
Are you βrunningβ because someone is pursuing you? Are you βrunningβ to try to escape from somewhere? Are you βrunningβ for your life? No!
You βrunβ because deep inside you know that you are a champion and nothing is going to stop you from achieving your purpose and goals in life. You’re not going to quit!
You βrunβ because you have goals and are determined to attain them. You βrunβ to push everything out of your mind and achieve clarity. You βrunβ because you are steadfast and not going to let the cares of the world weight you down. You βrunβ to silence to those lying voices in your head. You βrunβ to prove to yourself and all the haters out there that you are better than they say. You “run” to tell your body to wake up, get in shape, and tow the line. That you’re in charge and nothing or no one can hold you down; not even your own body!
So I ask you, the next time you hit that pavement or trail, would you now say that βrunningβ is the right term to describe what youβre doing?Me neither! Thatβs why from now on I tell myself,
βI donβt run. I Chase!β
And you do too!! You chase your fears. You chase your doubts. You chase your demons. You chase your dreams. You chase your destiny.
Now, some of you may be thinking that the term running isn’t always bad. You are right! The word can thankfully have a positive or negative connotation based on the application. For instance, in the bible Good men and women sometimes ran from danger, the presence of temptation, or even for their lives. The good news is, most of the times running is mentioned in the bible it is used in a context of goal achievement. People who had a clear vision of their mission, purpose, or destiny and single-mindedly, with all of their energy, aggressively and whole-heatedly pursued that goal.Β Β
So I ask you, why would someone as strong and determined as you settle and call this activity something so contrary to reality? We are not βrunningβ away from anything. We’re chasing down our enemies and goals and conquering them. Weβre turning into the pain, while most people are running from it. We face difficult problems and steadfastly work through them to a solution. We conquer our goals in order to realize our destiny. We donβt run. We Chase!
So I ask you, are you still a βrunnerβ? π
If youβre like me, βrunnerβ is no longer a term I can accept anymore. To help me stay focused and keep in mind what Iβm really doing out there, who I am in Christ, I designed a t-shirt that embodies this principle. If youβd like one for yourself, or the βChaserβ you love, they’re available to you today through our website. These “I donβt run. I Chase!” shirts are a limited “run” (pun intended), so order yours now at the link below before theyβre gone.Β
Thanks for sharing a moment of your day with me. I truly hope this article not only inspired you, but empowers you to be even more passionate the next time youβre out there chasing your destiny. And remember, the only things βrunningβ out there are the things that are afraid of you chasing them!
Your Friend and Fellow Chaser in Christ,
David Pasqualone
Additional Resources / References:
- The Bible
- Genesis 39:12
- Ecclesiastes 3:1-9
- Proverbs 18:10
- 1 Corinthians 9:24-27
- Philippians 4:13
- Hebrews 12:1
Have a question? Feel free to comment below or contact me here anytime!
Interesting, good perspective.