I haven't posted any blogs in a while primarily because I had nothing to say. At least nothing worthwhile to say.
Since my last blog I undertook a ginormous endeavor to train and complete a 13.5 mile obstacle course called Spartan Beast. Myself and my high school chum Jim Anderson registered, trained and ran it in a respectable time of 4:55.
Today we registered for another Spartan race, the Spartan Super. It's an 8 mile obstacle run in Vegas April 6. Another high school chum, Vernon Ritter has committed himself to the race with us and a possible fourth, Cris Zins. I post our commitments on Facebook and update our training routinely so that each of us feel accountable to each other and to everyone rooting for us to finish what we started.
Now to the title of this post "crossing the Rubicon". Julius Ceasar was a Roman general and one of the greatest conquerors in ancient history. As a military governor of Spain he expanded the Roman Empire by conquering Gaul, modern day France, essentially doubling and tripling the size of the empire. Meanwhile the senators of the Roman republic were jerking his chain, eventually issuing an arrest warrant for him. Ceasar, being the great man of action he was did the unthinkable and the highly illegal act of crossing his army across the river Rubicon in northern Italy. A barrier explicitly forbidden by Roman law. You see, with all the conquests of the times the empire knew full well the dangers of having conquering legions returning home to Rome, getting bored , restless, and eager with the taste of blood on their lips. General's were required to disband their armies prior to crossing the Rubicon or face certain death.
Ceasar's words upon crossing his Army across the Rubicon in 49 BC "The die is cast". The point of no return. What is YOUR point of no return?
When is YOUR die cast? Spiritually our die is cast when we are baptized into Christ. At that point we are buried into baptism with Christ and just as he was risen, so too, we are risen to enjoy the newness of life. When we walk in the light as He is light we have fellowship with Him.
How about physically? Well for me physically I continue to cross the Rubicon over and over. We have so much bravado. So much testosterone. So much conquest. Much of which gives us our personalities, dominates our speech, determines our routines. But what is real? What is talk and what is real? While training for the 13.5 mile Spartan Beast I knew to publicly announce my intentions to hold myself accountable. No injury, no illness, no self doubt or fear could stop me for my die was cast. I had crossed my Rubicon. I either failed or succeeded. There is something primal about stripping away the layers of bravado, of talk, of pomp and circumstance and endeavoring to complete something so magnanimous that the odds of failure out number the odds of success.
There is an enlightenment I feel when physically I can strip all this away and discover my physical and mental truth. Am I what and who I think I am? What and who I claim to be? What and who I want to be? For me at this time in my life I must physically cross my Rubicon and succeed or I'm not who or what I think I am.
The Spartan Super is my next Rubicon crossing. Godspeed
