What Exactly is Heroism? Is it Strength... Endurance... Patience?

In his book Job: A Man of Heroic Endurance, Charles R. Swindoll examines what Job’s sufferings can teach us about humanity and faith. In Scripture, Job is the central figure in the Book of Job, which focuses on God’s justice during difficult times, and how God guides us through times of suffering. Ultimately, Job endures many trials and often feels abandoned by God. However, God never actually abandons Job.

Swindoll's book teaches readers how to embrace God’s challenges. Using Job as an example, he explains that we find answers to our questions in unexpected places — and God doesn’t always give us the answers we expect. Epitomizing strength, endurance, and patience, we can all learn from Job’s life story. 

Heroes come in all forms. Job doesn’t stand idly by watching his life crash down around him. He consciously endures the trials God throws at him. Battening down and enduring hardships are heroic qualities. Life is unavoidably difficult. What separates heroes from the rest of us is how they deal with those difficulties. Just as Job learns the most about himself when he is suffering, we learn through our mistakes and disappointments. We rarely learn anything about our spirituality or ourselves when life is easy. Challenges make heroes of us.

Job suffers in the way we all suffer; his life is terribly unfair. Many can relate to his problems: he loses his family, his property, and his health, and his life is one catastrophe after another. However, because these catastrophes are timeless, Job speaks to everyone regardless of what era they live in. Job represents humanity. One of Job’s most poignant moments is when he loses all ten of his children at the same time. Standing over their graves, wondering what to do with his life, his wife tells him to renounce God, to give up and let his grief consume him, the way it consumes her. Job, however, refuses to give in. He simply vocalizes his faith in God. It doesn’t matter how God treats Job — Job never strays from the path.

Job suffers every insult imaginable. His friends turn on him; covered in agonizing welts and sores, everyone says he is to blame for his own misfortune. Job asks God for guidance, but God never answers him. Somehow, through this silence, Job stays true to God, and God finally rewards him. Yet, God’s rewards are never certain, and it takes an incredible amount of trust by Job to believe in Him.

God doesn’t bless Job with any special powers to help him endure what life throws at him. All Job has is his humanity, and this is what saves him. This is comforting; we are all capable of enduring life’s trials.

Gotta Roll,

Paul J. Staso

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Visit my YouTube channel -- https://www.youtube.com/user/pacetrek

Click on any of the links below to see some of my adventure photos:

• United States in 2006 (3,260 miles solo in 108 days at age 41)
• Montana in 2008 (620 miles solo in 20 days at age 43)
• Alaska in 2009 (500 miles solo in 18 days at age 44)
• Germany in 2010 (500 miles solo in 21 days at age 45)
• The Mojave Desert in 2011 (506 miles solo in 17 days at age 46)
• Various Photos From Mileposts Gone By
• Students Worldwide Who Ran With Me Virtually
• Roadside Sights From My Running Adventures
• Some Cycling Moments From The Past

God Takes No Pleasure in the Runner's Stride

Since I began running in 1976 at age 11, I've logged enough running miles to circle the globe twice -- a little more than 50,000 miles. Throughout all of those miles, I’ve been a Christian. I've been sponsored by corporations, completed multiple solo running adventures across states and countries, and my strides have taken me to the White House in Washington D.C.; the top of the Appalachian and Rocky Mountain ranges; to such national parks as Denali, Grand Canyon, and Yellowstone; from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic shore; across the Great Plains; and across parts of Europe. I've had the honor of meeting people in various political offices, being hosted in homes of countless caring families, and have enjoyed the virtual running company of school children around the globe who tracked my progress via online classrooms I created for each of my running endeavors. Years of pounding the pavement made my legs very strong and I've been able to conquer every snowy mountaintop, sandy desert, desolate highway, and lonely valley I've encountered.

Yet, after decades of sculpting my body to perform at such a high degree I now realize that although God is likely pleased that I've used my athletic abilities for good purposes (promoting youth health and fitness and putting a focus on some charitable causes), God has taken no pleasure in this runner's stride. I must admit that there have been moments when I've taken pride in my self-sufficiency as I dominated over large landscapes with my runner's stride. Yet, such self-sufficiency is NOT what pleases God, but rather our ability to acknowledge dependence on Him. As it is written in Psalm 147:10-11...

In four weeks I'll be blowing out the candles on my 58th birthday cake, and I am incredibly grateful to God for the ministry He has given to me as Director of Faith Formation at a Catholic church; as a husband to my lovely wife Kelley; as a father to four amazing adult children, and step-father to three other wonderful adult children and a high school Freshman; grandfather to several grandkids; and, being the youngest of 7 siblings with my parents healthy and well in Alaska at nearly 90 years of age. I've run many different courses in life and God has truly taught me many lessons along the way... even when I've had to backtrack now and then and traverse some rough terrain to finally learn a lesson.

Let's take a closer look at Psalm 147:10-11. What delights the Lord? The verses tell us that He does not delight in the strength of the horse and He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man. The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him, in those who hope in His mercy. We take great interest in the power of God’s creation, whether it is the strength of a horse or the strength in the legs of a man. God created these things, but they are not what fundamentally delights Him. The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him -- the reverence and trust of His people. Those who find their hope in His mercy delights God, because they honor Him with their trust. It pleases God when we hope in His loyal love, His loving kindness.

Yes, when it comes to me... God is not impressed with my legs or endurance.

Please understand, taking pleasure in the beauty of the symmetry of a well-formed human leg is not the point here. Most of us are impressed with the weight-lifter whose massive legs and shoulders allow him to dead-lift 1,000 pounds or more, or an Olympic sprinter who can run the 100-meter dash in less than 10 seconds. God is happy to see us use the gifts He gives us. However, God is not impressed by the extremes of human achievement.

The Apostle Paul tells us, "Try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord" (Ephesians 5:10). With the years I have left in this life, I definitely want to please God. Over many decades of running, it really all comes back to Psalm 147:11 where the Psalmist mentions the two qualities of character as pleasing to God: (1) fearing God; (2) putting hope in His mercy (steadfast love). "Fearing" God sounds pretty negative, but we need to understand it. "Fear" here doesn't mean "terror." Rather it means something like "be in awe of." A God-fearer is one who cares more about offending God than offending people. Some are swayed by the values of their peer group or their culture. However, the one who fears God is swayed by what he or she knows about God -- what pleases Him and what angers Him.

As I continue down life's road, I'll do so humbly and with reverence to God while keeping Romans 12:3 in mind: "Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment." Essentially, the Apostle Paul is telling us not to think we're better than we really are, but to be honest in our evaluation of ourselves. That's a good lesson to learn before too many mileposts are in the rearview mirror!

From Him, Through Him, For Him (Romans 11:36),
Paul J. Staso

_______________________________________

Visit my YouTube channel -- https://www.youtube.com/user/pacetrek

Click on any of the links below to see some of my adventure photos:

• United States in 2006 (3,260 miles solo in 108 days at age 41)
• Montana in 2008 (620 miles solo in 20 days at age 43)
• Alaska in 2009 (500 miles solo in 18 days at age 44)
• Germany in 2010 (500 miles solo in 21 days at age 45)
• The Mojave Desert in 2011 (506 miles solo in 17 days at age 46)
• Various Photos From Mileposts Gone By
• Students Worldwide Who Ran With Me Virtually
• Roadside Sights From My Running Adventures
• Some Cycling Moments From The Past

Despite Our Wayward Ways, God's Love is Steadfast -- Always.

It wasn't until the year 2020 that I became a Catholic. For 43 years prior to that, I was a Baptist. I was baptized in 1977 at the age of 12 at a Baptist church in Alaska. On June 28, 2020 I was blessed through the Rite of Christian Initiation to come into Full Communion with The Roman Catholic Church. Significant preparation and study were a part of that spiritual journey. My lovely wife, Kelley, has been a Catholic since the cradle and I have attended the Catholic church with her for many years. We attend Mass weekly and I'm blessed to be leading junior high faith formation (Sunday school).

For the past five years, I've written about a variety of topics in this blog. Most of those writings have not had anything to do with my faith. That is now going to change. If I'm going to post writings to this blog, those writings are going to be connected to my Catholic faith. I've spent a lot of time in prayer over the past year and have realized that I seem to give more credit to myself for the successes in my life than to the One from whom those successes actually flow. God is the One who has moved me from a life raft bobbing up and down in wayward seas to a steady ship that is guided by His wind and will. It is to Him that I give all gratitude, glory, honor and praise.

For those who have frequented my writings since I first began to post online in 2005, you will now see a change in tone... a change in focus. My writings will not be as frequent, but will be connected to my Catholic faith. If you've felt that your life has been like a cork bobbing up and down on uncontrollable seas, this blog may help -- in some small way -- to set your sights on the horizon and on what God can do when you give your life to Him. Others may criticize or judge you, but keep in mind that it is not to others that you must ultimately answer when you cross life's finish line.

Through God's plan for my athletic life, I've been blessed to run solo across the United States, Germany, Alaska, Montana, and the Mojave Desert. However, as Psalm 147:10-11 tells us: "He takes... no pleasure in the runner’s stride. Rather the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him, those who put their hope in His mercy." God doesn't take pleasure in what I can accomplish with my legs. He wants me to fear him -- which means to have reverence for Him -- and to put my hope in Him. That's what God truly wants from me, and from all of us. Through my athletic career, the miles I've conquered add up to be nearly two laps of planet earth -- about 50,000 miles. Sadly, my past track record shows that I've given myself far more credit for those miles than I've given to God. As a Christian, that was wrong.

For countless years I actually lived the words of Romans 5:3 ("suffering produces endurance"). Then, my life seemed to be focused on the initial words of Romans 5:4 ("endurance produces character"). These days, the tide has turned and God has blessed my life with calm seas, easier sailing, and blessings that I never imagined on those days long ago when I wondered what was beyond the horizon for me. Now, my life is more focused on the second part of Romans 5:4 -- "character produces hope." God is indeed good... all the time.

From Him, Through Him, For Him (Romans 11:36),

Paul J. Staso

_______________________________________

Visit my YouTube channel -- https://www.youtube.com/user/pacetrek

Click on any of the links below to see some of my adventure photos:

• United States in 2006 (3,260 miles solo in 108 days at age 41)
• Montana in 2008 (620 miles solo in 20 days at age 43)
• Alaska in 2009 (500 miles solo in 18 days at age 44)
• Germany in 2010 (500 miles solo in 21 days at age 45)
• The Mojave Desert in 2011 (506 miles solo in 17 days at age 46)
• Various Photos From Mileposts Gone By
• Students Worldwide Who Ran With Me Virtually
• Roadside Sights From My Running Adventures
• Some Cycling Moments From The Past

10 Years Since My Solo Run Across America

Today marks 10 years since I began my solo 3,260-mile run across the United States. The 108-day journey was done to keep a promise I had made to some elementary students. In some ways, I can't believe that 10 years have already gone by. The memories of that run seem so fresh! I was 41 years old back in 2006 and had four children between the ages of 6 and 13. Now, my children are 16, 18, 21 and 23 -- my eldest being an elementary teacher. Being away from my children during the summer of 2006 as I crossed 15 states was the hardest part of that journey and I know that back then they were too young to truly understand why I was doing the run or the magnitude of the challenge. Why in the world would their Dad run 30 miles per day from Oregon to Delaware? They may still be scratching their heads about that one!

Life has presented me with many twists and turns in the road over the past 10 years. Most of my children are now adults and are blazing their own paths in life. I'm so proud of them. Since I completed the coast-to-coast run I have also run solo across Montana, Alaska, Germany, and the Mojave Desert -- promoting youth health and fitness with each stride. I've spoken to thousands of school children through assemblies, was inducted as the first European PTA Youth Ambassador, and given a special award from the Mayo Clinic for my efforts in combating childhood obesity in America. Unfortunately, along the path I was on the receiving end of divorce papers. That occurred several years ago and resulted in some people distancing themselves from me. I can only hope that in time some bridges will be mended.

Just like a journey run, there are peaks and valleys on life's road. Over the past five years since I completed my last adventure run (the Mojave Desert) I've experienced more 'valleys' than 'peaks.' However, life took a positive upturn last year and I'm experiencing more peaks than valleys these days. I have a challenging yet rewarding job and for the past year I've been in a positive, fulfilling relationship with someone that I love unconditionally and who genuinely returns love the same way. I've held onto my non-profit organization, The P.A.C.E. Fitness Foundation, even though it has been sitting dormant since the Mojave Desert run in 2011. I've encouraged a few people who have reached out to me for advice with their own transcontinental running attempts and have done presentations as time and opportunities allow.

As this ten year anniversary of my run across America has been approaching, I've been reflecting back on my running career -- which began in 1975 when I was 10 years old. My running has taken me places that I never imagined my feet would carry me when I was a 5th grader running my first timed mile. I remember a day back then when I ran to the edge of our neighborhood and stopped (because my Mom told me that was the boundary). I looked down the road and imagined what it would be like to just keep going... and possibly run all the way across town. Well, that wide-eyed elementary student who was growing up during the "running boom" of the 70's got to run a lot farther than just across town!

At the age of 19 I wanted to run a marathon. I logged a lot of training miles, but was too broke to get to any marathon races. So, I jumped into my old VW Bug and drove 13.1 miles out from my college campus. I made a chalk line on the road, placed a bottle of water in the bushes, and drove back to campus. Then, I ran out to that chalk line and back again. I had completed my first "marathon." In 1986 I made my first attempt to run across America (sponsored by New Balance, Timex, Gatorade, and a company that was relatively new called "Oakley, Inc."), but I got injured early on and had to stop the run. That was 8 years before Forrest Gump ran across America on movie screens. In the past 4+ decades I've run enough miles to circle the globe a couple times. In so many ways, running has been a constant in my life... something to lean on, rely on, and something that would bring out the best in me. I guess you could say that running has been a significant factor in defining who I am.

So, here I am... 51 years old and the most content and focused that I've been since I ran 506 miles across the Mojave Desert in 17 days. I still have "BOB" (my "Beast Of Burden" support stroller) and have been focusing in on what I want to do with my running and with The PACE Fitness Foundation that I started many years ago. I have a pretty clear picture of where I want my footsteps to go and for what reason. For today, I'm content with reflecting back to June 23, 2006 and what a wonderful day that was. I took the first of what would be 6.2 million steps across America while pushing a stroller weighing over 60 pounds. Starting in front of "Haystack Rock" (a monolith) at Cannon Beach, Oregon was perfect. Friends and family were there to wish me well, and my four children ran the first 1/4 mile with me down the beach. Yes, the memories are still so vivid that it is hard to believe a decade has already passed.

Life is indeed a journey of twists and turns, valleys and peaks. I'm standing on the highest peak I've experienced in the past five years and the view is great. It's time to not only look to the horizon beyond the neighborhood, but to also run there. I hope you'll follow along via my writings and pictures in this blog. It's going to be quite an adventure!

From Him, Through Him, For Him (Romans 11:36),

Paul J. Staso

_______________________________________

Visit my YouTube channel -- https://www.youtube.com/user/pacetrek

Click on any of the links below to see some of my adventure photos:

• United States in 2006 (3,260 miles solo in 108 days at age 41)
• Montana in 2008 (620 miles solo in 20 days at age 43)
• Alaska in 2009 (500 miles solo in 18 days at age 44)
• Germany in 2010 (500 miles solo in 21 days at age 45)
• The Mojave Desert in 2011 (506 miles solo in 17 days at age 46)
• Various Photos From Mileposts Gone By
• Students Worldwide Who Ran With Me Virtually
• Roadside Sights From My Running Adventures
• Some Cycling Moments From The Past