He said, ‘Come what may, I want to run’ » (2 Samuel 18:23).
Ahimaaz wanted to deliver the good news to King David. He longed to tell him that his enemies had been routed and that his houses and wives and concubines were safe once again. The messenger’s feet were just itching to race back to the palace and inform the monarch that all was well in the kingdom. Oh yes, there was one teeny weeny bit of bad news. Absalom, David’s son, had been killed.
Being a missionary is a good news, bad news deal too. You tell people of a glorious future with the God of the universe and-oh by the way, you’ve got to change your life completely if you want to be a part of it.
But wait. Is living the Christian life really bad news? You’re healthier. That’s for sure. Now you have faith in something besides yourself. That’s a plus. And you’re nicer to others, and that usually makes them nicer to you. Definite benefits there. The future doesn’t frighten you because you know that Jesus is your future and there’s absolutely nothing scary about Him. Ditto.
Then there’s the Ten Commandments that, if followed faithfully, can help keep you out of every jail and mental institution in the world. And the «Do unto others» thing you learned as a kid—that alone makes you more friends than enemies.
I guess there really isn’t any bad news after all!
So slip into your cross-trainers, do your warm-up stretches, grab your Bible, and run!