“We’re so comfortable we’re miserable,” observes Ultramarathon Man, Dean Karnazes – and he oughtta know.
This guy has forfeited three nights sleep to run 350 continuous miles (that’s over 563 km), he’s run in 120 °F (49°C) temperatures across the Sahara, and a marathon in -40°F (-40°C) to the South Pole. In 2006 he ran 50 marathons, in all 50 US states, in 50 consecutive days. The last off these was the NYC Marathon which he completed in three hours! He has also run 3,000 miles (4,828 km) across America from the California coast to New York City, and finished 1st in the 4 Deserts Race Challenge.
Dean knows the joy of having stayed the course through a long and tough ordeal and having come out the other side a better person for the experience. He has found such experiences worth the seeking and is thankful for every one of them.
Today is our Canadian Thanksgiving Day. It is often symbolized by the image of a “horn of plenty” — a cornucopia basket of overflowing vegetables and fruits of harvest abundance! We, like the early settlers, are thankful for the bountiful blessing of God upon the soil and His provision for our needs.
But in a increasingly materialistic society, becoming more and more distanced from the soil, we can easily develop an ‘entitled’ mindset. We can forget the hard toil that tilled the land and nurtured it, that fought thorns and thistles, soreness and sleeplessness to harvest it “by the sweat of the brow” (Gen. 3:19). We can become seekers of pleasures more than seekers of challenges. We can become so comfortable we’re miserable.
We may need to be uncomfortable, so we can be more truly thankful!
This Thanksgiving perhaps its time to take a second look at some of our challenges. We may have more blessings to count than we realize!
More tomorrow…
thebrokenrunner 