Running With Wolves
Have you ever heard of the pack mentality? It’s the concept of an individual becoming absorbed in the behavior or actions of a larger group. The phenomenon can be positive or negative, but I recently experienced the benefit in a cogent way.
Wednesday nights are run club nights, and you can typically observe a pack of 10-20 wolves running the streets of our local neighborhood. There are guys in different pace groups, and what starts off as a dense pack typically elongates into smaller clusters, much like oil meandering across a hot skillet. I look forward to this time each week, but with kids in various activities, I don’t always make it. And it doesn’t take much to fall off pace when it comes to long-distance running.
My street name is “Fluffy”, but you can’t use that name for me apart from run club. I was given that nickname because I like to play up the 40-year-old, washed-up vibe when the newly minted 20-year-olds show up. I like to pose as a slowpoke and pull out of the gate fast. That ploy works great when you’re training for a marathon. I haven’t been training for a marathon…
I pulled out of the gate fast last week, only to discover two guys were right on my tail. Mile 2, mile 3, mile 4. I couldn’t break free, and I was doing everything I could to not fall back. One of the guys was a close friend, and I knew he’d been logging up some serious mileage. Mile 5, we hit a speed I haven’t seen in years, and I knew I was heading home (my heavenly home!) Mile 6, I was tapping out for mercy when my friend instructed me to pull up beside him and run shoulder to shoulder, stride for stride. We pulled together as a pack and finished mile 7 strong.
The experience reminded me of a familiar saying, “You can go fast alone, but further together.” That’s a great principle when it comes to running and leadership. So often in life, it’s easy to simply run ahead, but we can accomplish so much more in tandem with others. It takes some discipline to slow down enough to invest in others, but the yield is exponential.
Teamwork isn’t a good idea, it’s a God idea. When we become a Jesus follower, we integrate into what the Scripture identifies as the body of Christ. For just as the body is one and has many parts, and all the parts of the that body, though many, are one body- so also is Christ. 1 Corinthians 12:12
Expanding God’s kingdom is a team endeavor as we learn to depend on one another. We’re certainly called to pull our weight, but we each bring a uniqueness that makes our community (body) flourish. For the individual parts to function as a body, it takes leadership. Jesus is faithful to lead His Church, and He extends His leadership through us as we invest in the lives of others. It’s like my friend’s invitation to go shoulder to shoulder, stride for stride. Come with me as we follow Jesus together.
What can that look like practically? The options are endless! It can look like sending a text to a friend that includes a Scripture and what obedience looks like to you. It can look like stepping into an opportunity to serve while inviting a family member or friend to join. It can look like an ice cream date with one of your children to discover their dreams these days. It can look like inviting someone to join you in a hobby (like running) and using that time for encouragement.
Those are just a few ideas. What ideas come to mind for you?