The Marathon Runner's Borrowed Shoes

In 2018, Desiree Linden became the first American woman in 33 years to win the Boston Marathon. What fewer people remember is that she almost dropped out at mile five. The cold rain was brutal, her legs felt dead, and she turned to fellow runner Shalane Flanagan and said, "I'm going to help you. Use me." She decided to block wind for Flanagan, to spend her body in service rather than quit. Something shifted. As she gave herself over to a purpose beyond her own comfort, strength returned. She crossed the finish line first.

Paul's words to the Corinthians cut against a culture that treated the body as either a playground or a prison — something to indulge or ignore. "Everything is permissible for me," they quoted, turning freedom into a blank check. But Paul reframes everything. Your body is not your own. You were bought at a price. This is not a restriction — it is a revelation.

When Linden stopped running for herself and started running in service, she discovered what her body could actually do. The Corinthians had it backward. They thought freedom meant using their bodies however they pleased. Paul says real freedom comes when we honor the One who purchased us. The Holy Spirit does not just visit your body like a hotel room. He takes up residence. He makes it holy ground. So glorify the Almighty in your body — not because you have to, but because you were made for exactly this.