Running the Race

A few weeks ago, I ran my second half marathon. My whole life, running has always been the hardest, most unnatural thing for me to do; so I decided to tackle it and train for a half marathon. Months of training boiled down to this one morning. The air was a crisp 45 degrees and I was ready to get this dang race over with so that I could give running a break for a while. *BANG* we were off. I intentionally decided not to bring my headphones so that I would not rely on my upbeat music to keep me going; I would rely on the Lord. And let me say this, I had no choice but to rely on Him. The entire race was an ongoing prayer. When I was feeling good, I was talking to the Lord. When I was going up a gnarly hill, I was talking to the Lord. When I hit the dreaded 9-mile slump, I was talking to the Lord. I had to ask Him repeatedly to not let me stop and walk. By mile 11, I began to black out and feel dizzy. He kept me going. The best part of all of it was sprinting to the finish line and being able to say that God was who carried me through - not me.

Why am I writing about this race? We are all in the middle of the race of life. Whether you are a Christian, Muslim, Atheist, Jew, Buddhist, Agnostic, etc., you are participating in this race. One of the most humbling experiences for me was when I realized that God wasn't letting go of me, even when mile 11 rolled around and I wanted Him to let go and let me walk, He didn't. He had a tight grip on me. To some of you, this might sound extreme and you're probably wanting me to give my body and myself credit for all the training that I did to get to that moment. But let me say this: God didn't have to breathe life into me. God didn't have to give me full functioning legs. God didn't have to give me a healthy heart that allows for cardiovascular activity. God didn't have to do ANY of those things, but He did. So yeah, I think it's insanely fair to give Him all the credit.

This kind of training applies to all areas of our lives. Who do you turn to when you just begin a relationship with someone? Who do you turn to when y'all get in a fight? Who do you turn to when the relationship is over and you feel more pain than you ever wanted to? Who do you turn to when you desperately want this job that you have an interview for? Who do you turn to when you get the job? Who do you turn to when you lose someone you're extremely close to?
Do you see what I'm getting at? Or should I ask it again...WHO DO YOU TURN TO?

"Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank Him for all He has done...For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength." -Philippians 4:6,13

In the middle of this race, our almighty, all powerful Heavenly Father is the most important water station we can stop at. He provides us more hydration throughout the race than anything else this world could ever offer. God may place things in our lives to help us throughout the race. At mile 9, my dad walked up to the course to cheer me on and then he began running with me. He saw how much I was struggling and jogging with me for the little bit that he did encouraged me more than he knows. But did I worship my dad after he stopped and let me keep running? No. I worshiped my heavenly Father for graciously giving me an earthly father who loves and cares for me the way a father should. That's community, y'all. God gives us community in the midst of the race to provide encouragement.

I can't imagine not having the Lord by my side in everything I do and I can't help but want everyone in my life to have the same gift. I GET to give everything over to Christ. My burdens, my victories, my sore legs, my heavy breathing, ALL OF IT. And He is there, every single time, without fail, to pick me up and run with me.

"All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training to do what it should." -1 Corinthians 9:25-27

"Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us."  -Philippians 3:13-14

I can't wait to get to the finish line of this life and be able to spend eternity with Him. I imagine it to be somewhat like finishing my half marathon. I got to the end glad it was over, excited to be able to rest, eat a lot of good food, and spend time with my mom and dad. NOW MULTIPLY THAT BY A MILLION AND THAT'S HOW GOOD HEAVEN IS GONNA FEEL. It's hard to fathom something that great, but I delight in giving my burdens over to Christ in the mean time. Lord knows I don't want to do this race on my own! I praise God every day that I don't have to.

Blessings,

Athlete for Christ