On his Heels.

Today I learned about drafting.

No. Not drafting as in writing a paper. Not drafting as far as being enlisted in the military.

Drafting when it comes to running.

Perhaps those of you who are athletic have heard about this technique. In aerodynamics, drafting is when two moving objects align in a close group, reducing the overall effect of drag due to exploiting the lead object’s slipstream.

In sports language, it’s a tactic employed by competitors to conserve energy by using the wake created by other athletes to pull them along.

Typically drafting is used in high-speed sports, such as auto racing or bicycling, but in a recent article published in runners world magazine, studies are showing that it is an effective technique which can be used in low-speed sports as well, such as running.

For example. Let’s say here’s a high wind blowing and runner 1 is ahead of runner 2 by a few yards. Runner 2 catches up to runner 1, but doesn’t pass him. He gets just close enough to where he’s a couple feet behind him. Because of this, runner 1 is now facing the wind headfirst, but he’s blocking it for runner 2, allowing runner 2 to conserve his energy.

Ok. You’re probably thinking. So what.

Well here’s the thing.

You know how there’s a been a trend lately to pick a word during the beginning of the year that defines your goals? Apparently doing so helps people determine and focus in on what is the most important thing for them to pursue during that particular year. People choose words like “discipline” or “health” or “joy”. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m all for people pursuing discipline, and health and joy, but I haven’t really understood how this whole word trend helps them actually do that.

In all honesty, it’s probably just cause I’ve never been able to narrow down my goals to one word.

This year however, has been different.

No, I didn’t spend the last week of December thinking about a word that would summarize all my aspirations for 2020. I actually didn’t think about it at all. Not until our pastor shared something with us in the early weeks of January during communion. I mentioned it in my post reflecting over my past year of blogging. What he said was this:

“Stay right on God’s heels. Don’t get ahead of him. And don’t lag behind him. Just stay right on his heels.”

Those words hit me hard.

And they’ve hit me hard again, as the Lord has brought them to mind countless times over the past few weeks. When I’ve been discouraged, when I’ve been tempted to doubt, when I’ve been worried about the future, when I’ve been scared about what lies ahead, I hear those words. Its as if God is saying “Don’t look so far into the future that you get ahead of me and don’t be so immobilized by fear that you don’t move forward. Keep fighting the fight. Keep running the race. Keep chasing after me. Stay right on my heels.”

So, I’m a month late. And it isn’t a word. But I’ve hopped on the bandwagon. I’ve chosen a motto that encompasses my goals for this year.

“ON HIS HEELS“

This year, I’m not going to lag behind God in apathy and fear. I’m not going to grow impatient with the pace that’s been set for me and try to get ahead of him. I won’t complain about the difficulty of the course and look for other ways. I’m following my Lord, no matter the cost. I’m staying close to him where it’s safe and sure. I’m chasing after my King though none go with me. I’m staying right on his heels.

Now, what does this have to do with drafting?
I’m glad you asked.

When I learned about drafting today, my motto for this year came to mind and I had to smile.

When you draft behind a stronger runner, the pressure of the wind ahead diminishes, allowing you to conserve your own strength.

If you get too far behind, their shield has no effect. At the same time, if you get too far ahead, you face the wind alone, having to expend more energy to fight against it. But if you stay right behind them, if you stay right on their heels, the pressure of the wind falls away.

Sometimes staying on God’s heels doesn’t feel like the best place to be. When he moves quickly down the path of forgiveness, it can be hard to follow when every other psychologist and self-help book tells us we have a right to wallow in the bog of self-pity and lick our wounds. Staying on Gods heels can look like reaching for our bibles instead of our snooze buttons. It can mean letting words of discouragement and hate roll right off our backs, cause we’re moving too quickly to let them bring us down. Staying on Gods heels can mean ducking down into the caverns of servant-hood, when the rest of the world stays above the ground where they can be easily seen and heard. It can mean taking up a cross. It can mean leaving behind old pleasures and patterns. Staying right on God’s heels isn’t always easy.

But when I’m not close behind him, I face the wind alone.

This year, in 2020, I’m taking up the art of drafting. And I’d encourage you to do the same. God is the one in the lead, and if we but follow, he’ll block the howling wind and the pressures of this life which are far too great for us to bear. Though the pace may be difficult, though the path may be narrow, close to him is the place I choose to be.

Close to him. On his heels.

I don’t know if you’ve chosen a word or a motto for this year, but if you haven’t, I don’t mind if you share mine. Because it isn’t a goal that’s just meant for me. God desires that we all stay on his heels.
“Seek first my kingdom” he says, “Just focus on following me, and I’ll take care of the wind. I’ll face the pressures for you. All these other things will be added unto you.”

“To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.” -1st Peter 2:1

“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, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. ” -Hebrews 12:1-3

” Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. ” -Galatians 5:25

This year, I’m staying right on God’s heels, where I’m protected by his shield. Lace up your running shoes and come join me! There’s room.