Mezger Memo

I was advised by a radio dj yesterday not to run a marathon with my mouth about my experience because, as she said, "We really don't care. We don't care about your blisters or your bloody chest (from shirt rub)." But, I have to share with you three experiences that will hopefully encourage you like they did me:

1. Last year I hit my "wall" around mile 18. This year I hit it much earlier at mile 11 because of my knee injury. I thought for sure that I would see Janet at our meeting point and just walk off and go home. I then noticed that it was 10:30 am and that was the exact time my mom and others were praying for me. 1.5 million Chicagoans come out to cheer for the marathon and one way to distract yourself from pain is to interact with them. I did that quite a bit last year. This time, I decided to begin praying...out loud. I'm not Orthodox, but I read "Mountain of Silence" and learned a lot about "The Jesus Prayer" and how repeating it ushers you into deeper meditation. I began praying, out loud mind you, over and over and over--Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner. I would often just pray, Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy...etc. I then began to envision, either in my mind or actually in my field of vision, Christ carrying his cross to Calvary. I saw his face cringing in pain. I saw the cross lying on his raw flesh. I saw all that he suffered on that day. Instead of a crowd cheering me on, I saw a multitude mocking and spitting on him. These words then began to form on my lips, eventually bursting aloud, "You did that for me! Thank you Lord! You did all that for me!
As I prayed this, I don't know how else to say it, but supernatural strength came over me and my pain subsided and my pace increased steadily for the last 5 miles.

2. I had a distinct burst of strength come over me as I prayed. I then began to look to the crowd, having fun interacting with them. I would put my hand up to my ear as if to say "I can't hear you!" Or I would yell, "MORE COWBELL!" Timmy would often start doing cartwheels in front of me and the crowd would go crazy. When I did that, I would feel my pain again. PRAY WITHOUT CEASING came clearly across my mind, which is what I did. I began praying for everybody else I knew who was running that day.

3. Around mile 23 I was feeling good. I began to notice guys all around me dropping off. They would start walking, often clutching their legs. I gently ran up beside at least 5 guys, put my arm around them, and said things like, "You can't quit now, you're too close! Come on, a little further, you'll finish with a great time!" Every guy that I did this to smiled at me and started running again, all of them saying, "thanks man, you're right!" In doing this, my strength continually increased.

I give you 3 verses that I experienced (though figuratively) in running the marathon: Hebrews 12:1-3, and Hebrews 3:13
1Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
2fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

13But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called "Today," so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

In May I (Rob) drove close to 3,000 miles through the fragmented Former Yugoslavia, packed in tightly in our little Opel Zafira. The mileage was amazing, at least 40 miles per gallon which was nice considering gas cost nearly $6.00 per gallon. I, Rob, gave our friends the best tour possible of the land to which we plan on returning in the coming months. God arranged such timely meetings with missionaries, local pastors, and UN workers that gave them a very well-rounded perspective of the complexity of the Balkans. Praise the Lord, we crossed borders safely, especially since on the day before passing through, Montenegro had declared their independence from Serbia--an action historically warranting immediate war in the past decade.