What I Don't Love

Spring is here. 

You love it; I know. You love the warmer weather, the promise of no more snow, the longer days, and the beautiful budding trees. Spring is when all the fair-weather runners unplug the treadmills and take off outside.

But I'm not as optimistic. When I think of Spring, I think of two things: 

Allergies and mud.

Sorry for being such a sourpuss. But for a trail runner who is allergic to almost every kind of grass, tree, and weed, spring is a nightmare time for running.

But I still run. 

Not because I love what I must endure; on the contrary, I despise it. I have to rinse my nose and wash my hair almost every time I go outside. I sneeze for two months. My shoes stay caked with mud until around Memorial Day.

I don't love what I go through, but I love being a runner. I love the camaraderie. I love new runners and people who have been running for decades. I love races and track meets and cross country. I love sweaty hair and sports bras and the vibrant colors of running shorts. 

It's worth the trouble to run in the spring because I love runners and I love being a runner.

And as we approach Easter, may we also keep our gaze on the One who didn't love what He endured, but who loved us.

I'm sure Jesus didn't love leaving heaven and becoming a broken, frail person. There's no way he loved getting headaches and gas and having bad dreams. And I don't even need to mention the annoying group of men who followed Him around for three years, asking ridiculous questions and forgetting everything He said and abandoning Him in His greatest time of distress. There's no way He loved the beating, the scourging, the hatred, and the nails driven into His hands.

But He loved us. We were worth what He endured.

So when you do something this week for your husband or your kids or your friends or parents or dog or even for yourself that you don't particularly enjoy doing, remember Christ. Thank Him for loving us enough to be one of us. Not because He loved being a person, but because He loved people.

Easter was worth it.
Spring is worth it.

Not because of what happened, but because of who we love.


Leslie Hudson