Run with Weights On

By Sue Bohnert

When my father was young, he became very discouraged with life. His father was not a very good provider. Many times my dad went to bed hungry. And many times he went to school without shoes. The kids in school would often tease him.

On top of that, my father's older brother at the age of seventeen was killed in an automobile accident. My dad, fourteen at the time, was devastated. It seemed life had dealt him an enormous blow. At the point of wanting to run away, my father made a life changing decision.

He could either run away or he could do something different. Choosing the later, he took some lead sinkers from his father's fishing tackle box and melted them down to make metal plates. Next, he went to the banks of the river near the small town where his family lived, placed the plates in the bottom of his shoes then ran in sand and ran and ran. After much perseverance, he removed the plates which were actually weights discovering his plan had worked. His speed greatly increased.

The next school year my father decided to try out for football even though he received some ridiculing from the coach. Needless to say, the coach was taken aback when he watched my dad run. Yes, my father made the team. Of course, his position was running back.

In the beginning of 2008, I heard the Lord say, "Sue, if you will learn to run with the weights on, when they come off, you'll be surprised how fast you can run just like your father." I had no clue what the next five years would bring. But the Lord knew I needed to know this before He let me set out on this journey of heartache and pain.

Recently, I looked up the word sinker in the Webster's dictionary. It is a weight used for sinking a fishing line or seine. Next, I looked up weight. Weight is heaviness, mass, burden, load.

I believe God is telling us, if we will learn to run with the weight that is intended to sink us, it will be astounding to see how fast we can run when the load is lifted. In reality, it is amazing to me my father was able to run with a weighted plate in his shoe but he did. And we can too in a different way!

You see, the weights in life that are meant to bring us down can, in fact, build us up. Athletes know this. They use weight to build muscle. Likewise, with the help of the Lord, weights in life such as a loved one passing, sickness, financial trouble, marriage problems, false accusations, job loss, etc. can actually strengthen us.

You hold strength and power in the palm of your hand to build up and strengthen all… 1 Chronicles 29:11a (MSG)

Like my father, it's really our decision to run away or run with the weight on. That means keep running in the middle of pain, grief, sadness, loneliness, anger, or fear. Keep on praying, reading your Bible, and speaking the Word of God over your life. Those weights will eventually come off and you'll have more stamina than you had before.

1 Corinthians 9:27 (MSG) I don't know about you, but I'm running hard for the finish line. I'm giving it everything I've got. No sloppy living for me! I'm staying alert and in top condition. I'm not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself.

Two years ago, my dad left this earth. I think of the last five years and the greatest gift my father ever gave me - he taught me to run in the face of difficulty. Now that is an inheritance! Thank you, Daddy!