Hebrews 12:1
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud
of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so
easily entangles. And let us run with
perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer
and perfector of faith. For the joy set
before him, he endured the cross, scorning its shame and sat down at the right
hand of the throne of God. Consider him
who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and
lose heart.
I had a lot of time to my thoughts and prayers today. Five
hours of time to Be Still with the
Lord in His creation. Well, to be more
precise, I had 4 hours, 59 minutes and 46 seconds, and I was moving the entire
time, but my heart and soul were at rest with the Lord. As I ran up and down (and up and down) a
couple of mountains, I was amazed at everything the Lord showed me about life.
Today, I ran the HURL Elkhorn 23k (15 miles)…15.2 if you ask
the GPS on my phone. This race is
hard. The first 4 miles are a nice run,
but then you head straight up a mountain eventually crossing a ridge, dropping
down into a gorgeous valley and then back up and over the next mountain. The last 5-6 miles are “pretty nice” too –
meaning they are not vertical or a scree field.
It is horrible, and it is awesome, or as I like to say, “Horribly
awesome.” The views are unbelievable. It is always worth the run, work, pain and
strain to get to the top of each mountain.
Much like our lives…we all desire those mountain top
experiences with the Lord. But how do we
get there? In real life, we don’t just swoop in with a helicopter, and we can’t
expect to do this spiritually either. On
this earth and in my race, our journey to a mountain top involves a lot of hard
work and pain to get through all the mud and mire and muck, the rocks, weeds,
logs and trees that trip us and block our way.
There are ups and downs and back ups and back downs on the way to the
top. We must cross raging creeks and
deep dark valleys and dodge wild animals and horseflies. The sun beats down on us or storm cells roll
over the mountain. It is a constant
battle to make it to the top, where our beaten and battered bodies are
refreshed by the views.
How true this is on the race the Lord sets before each of
us! We long to reach the spiritual
mountaintop, but we often must face the adversity, the character building, the
struggles of life and faith, wallow through the mud and mire and muck of sin or
sickness or injury. But in the end, it
is well worth it to be strong in the Lord and to be refreshed by His work and
presence in our lives.
To run a race, such as mine today, most people will train
ahead of time. We prepare. We spend months building up our stamina and
endurance so we can call on them on race day when our training and preparation
is tested. Did we bring enough
water? Do we have enough gel packs and
are we taking and using them properly?
What about sunblock? And TP? Proper training and preparation is essential
in preparing us for the difficult race ahead.
Likewise, we must train and prepare in advance for the race
the Lord has set before us. By studying,
reading, and memorizing God’s word, we store up his truths in our hearts and
minds, then, when we are tested, they are already stored in the bank of our
minds and ready to be used. We can rely
on His promises found in His word if the road ahead looks difficult and rocky.
Race directors and volunteers prepare the trail in advance
of the races long before we arrive on race day.
They cut back fallen trees, repair trails and mark the course to keep us
from becoming lost. So does the
Lord. Do you not think He has the same
consideration for His own children? He
knows the road ahead. He has already
been there. He goes before us and leads
us through conviction and the Holy Spirit.
He is with us and guides us through dark valleys and hard times to bring
us to the mountain top and the finish line.
The race director’s work is in vain if we do not pay attention. We must listen to the instructions and trail
markers, so we do not go off course and get lost. Today a gentleman missed a corner and
continued to run. He ran for miles
without seeing a single trail marker or an aid station. He should have turned around and looked for
his error to get back on the right path.
How often do we do this in our life?
The Lord set up trail markers to keep us on the right path…and there are
warning signs when we get off on a tangent…but we must pay attention to them so
we can get back on track with the Lord.
We must diligently take care during our race, to avoid being
tripped up by hidden dangers. In my
case, today there were many rocks hidden in the grass. With all of the creek crossings, you had to
be extremely careful to keep your shoes dry to prevent blisters from
forming. Christians must be aware of
temptations or compromises with the world that also trip us up, slow us down or
even injure us on our journey. Like wet
shoes, a life compromised with worldliness can fester and cause blisters that
require substantial work to repair the damage in our lives.
While we are out on a race, nearly everyone is “in it
together” even though we are all on a different journey. Oh, certainly the race course is the same for
us, but my race is not the same as the 70 year old talker, and our two races
are not the same as the pregnant lady from North Carolina, or the mom and her
high school student, or the ultra-runner who finished before I thought of
starting. My race this year isn’t even
the same as my race last year. It is the
same race course and final destination, but the Lord gave each of us our own
journey. The Lord has set each Christian
on their own race and journey even when the destination is the same. Some reach it faster. Some reach it slower. It appears to be easier for some and harder
for others. We are called to only do the
journey and race set before us and not another person’s journey. We cannot compare our gifts, our journeys or
our burdens. We are called to simply love
one another.
From a friend who shared advice on how to fuel myself during
the race, to the young man who tried to give me a hand over a creek to keep my
shoes dry, to other runners who cheerfully chatted or encouraged us along the
way, to the aid station workers and finish line volunteers with shouts, cheers
and cowbells, our race experience is enriched.
We shared the journey. They helped
me to complete my race. Our church
family is the same. When someone
“accidentally makes too much” pulled pork or meatball soup or pasta (each one
with all the trimmings), you are helping us over the rocks. When someone takes Rob for a scenic drive or
stops to visit, you are helping pull him out of the mud and across the
stream. Your many prayers smooth the
trail and help us feel Jesus leading and guiding us. Gifts that “randomly” appear or items which
are “anonymously” paid for all help get us to the finish line. You are sharing our journey and helping us to
complete the race set before us.
I crossed the finish line today solely on the strength of
the Lord. His strength willed my weary
legs to continue running. I had not
trained enough this summer, because of Rob’s battle with depression, anxiety,
insomnia, chronic pain, etc., and we “lost” 2 months of our summer. My duty was with him, not running. Three to four appointments per week made it
difficult to find time to run. Praise
the Lord he is well on the mend. Rob always supports my running because I run
to be healthy and strong to care for him.
Additionally, I have been hindered training this summer with quite a bit
of pain keeping me from pushing hard enough.
I have some weird hip issues and 2 weeks before the race my knee popped
when I was picking raspberries. It is
not a happy knee, but it will be okay. I
also thought I had a conflict on race day and didn’t know until a few days
ahead of time that I would be able to race.
So I was very much unprepared. I
almost cancelled. But then I remembered why
I do it. This is a non-motorized
trail. Rob will never have the
opportunity to see the beautiful country.
So it is my obligation to go and see it for him, and bring back pictures
to try to show him the grandeur. I even ordered my race shirt in his size,
because I run this race specifically for him and in the hope that I can glorify
God. He deserves the shirt. His race is harder to run than my own. My goal was to beat 5 hours. I highly doubted I could do it especially in
the middle of the race. Those middle 8
miles are terrible, where the rugged mountains reduce my mile splits to 33
minutes per mile. Additionally, I spent
time stopping to take pictures for Rob here and there. But it is during those hard times when we
must believe. We must trust. We must keep our eyes on Jesus, the author
and finisher of our faith. And so I
praised and prayed my way UP and down the trail. I took pictures. I focused on
Jesus. I thought about Rob. I put one foot in front of the other and
watched my knee carefully. I got passed
by a very friendly and very pregnant lady.
And I just kept going. Lord, I
prayed, get me to the finish line! And when the trail evened out a little, I
worked hard to start running again, even though my hips screamed until I got
them stretched back out. I pushed…for
Rob…for the glory of my Lord…and my phone announced 4 hours, 57 minutes and
some odd seconds. I could hear the
finish line in the distance and knew I wouldn’t make it in time. But, I prayed, “Lord, give me the strength
and endurance to run all the way to the end no matter how long it takes.”
Hilariously, I crossed the finish line with 14 seconds to spare. God has a sense of humor and loves to bless
and reward his children.
Today, I needed His strength to get me up and over the
mountains, through creeks and still RUN the last several miles to the finish
line.
Every single day I need His strength to get me through this
journey – the race he set before me – and I know He will be faithful to see me
through to the end. Because He loves me
and desires to bless His children. So, I
will continue to praise and pray and worship Him. For He is good and His love endures
forever. With Him, I will finish this
race too.
