The Rhythm of Grace

Lent on the Run — Day 20

Mar 27, 2025

‘Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’
— Matthew 11:28-30

When I got my first Garmin running watch, it came with all kinds of data, and I—being the person I am—went deep into it. I didn’t treat it like gospel, but I definitely obsessed over it more than I should have. For a lot of runners, the rise of GPS watches and wearable tech brought a flood of information that used to be reserved for the pros. And while all that data had the potential to help, it also had the potential to send us down a rabbit hole of overanalyzing and missing what actually matters.

For me, cadence was one of those things. I had heard that 180 steps per minute was the magic number, so I figured that’s what I needed to hit. But the more I learned, the more I realized cadence isn’t one-size-fits-all. Factors like height, stride length, and pace all play a role. Sure, I needed to increase mine, but I didn’t need to force myself into an arbitrary number. Instead, I had to find the rhythm that worked for me.

Just like runners can overcorrect their form chasing a perfect cadence—or any number of stats—we can overcomplicate grace by trying to earn it rather than simply receiving it.

Jesus invites us to take on His yoke, not as a burden, but as something that actually lightens our load. The rhythm of grace isn’t about hitting some ideal standard—it’s about moving in step with God’s presence and how God created us. In that, we learn to trust, rest, and live into the work God is already doing in us.

The rest we find in grace is a lot like the feeling after a good run. We put in the effort, we feel the fatigue, but we also know we’ve given our best. And in that, there’s peace.

So how can you lean into the rhythms of grace—just like you settle into the rhythm of your run?