Confessions of a Clay Jar

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us."  ~ 2 Corinthians 4:7

I hurt.

Better today, but a LOT yesterday.

Many of my readers (all both of them) know that I am a runner.  And I have very steadily been building up my mileage- not for any planned race but just for the sake of doing so.  Last week I was able to run 9 miles on Monday, with three separate 5 mile runs scattered throughout the week.  And I felt pretty good doing so, at least until the end of the week.

But all of my ailments have decided to flare up at once.  My arthritic toe, which is fairly new (the arthritis, not the toe) has hurt fairly steadily for probably a month.  My piriformus syndrome, which is literally a pain in the butt, has been a long-standing issue that had played nice...until last week.

In short, I hurt.

Now several things may be going on.  Most experts will tell you that a good pair of running shoes should last between 300-500 miles, and mine are at 343 (yes, I track that).  So I've changed to a new pair, hoping that with some rest and new shoes the pains will subside.

It may also be that my age is catching up with me.  I sure hope not.  It's much easier to change to a new pair of shoes than to a new me!

Paul was not immune to the nature of the temporariness of life.  In this letter to the Corinthian church he wrote of such, calling our bodies "jars of clay", which even in our day symbolize a certain fragility.  Obviously our lives are very short- even for the oldest among us- and from the moment of our birth our bodies begin to decay until that moment when we breathe our last and enter either an eternal time of blessing and praising our Savior in heaven or an eternity of conscious torment in hell.

But look at WHY Paul says this happens to us.  While yes, death and decay are a result of the fall, Paul also includes an even bigger reason for our aging:

"to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us."  

Imagine if we lived forever enjoying the strength and vigor of our youth. I don't imagine it would take very long to believe we were invincible (since we truly would be), and thus would have no need for God.  We would in fact be our own Gods, self-sufficient in almost every way.

So I guess if I have to choose between my need for God and my desire for youth, I'll choose the former.  Trust me, it's a much better deal.

Now as my butt goes numb from the icepack I'm sitting on, I think I'll bid you a very chilly adieu.