“Let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.” (Hebrews 12:1)
Disclaimer: I’ve never been a runner.
But lately, I’ve started running.
And maybe, just maybe, I am one.
I look back on my childhood during elementary & middle school and remember how much I dreaded “mile days.” You remember. You showed up for P.E. and they told you you’d be running a mile outside on the track… and the best (worst) part: the P.E. instructor would be timing it.
I dreaded these days because I wasn’t a girl who ran a whole lot. I was a girl who dressed up in costumes and performed in plays a whole lot!
I remember always being one of the last ones finishing the mile runs around 12 minutes. I remember the feeling of defeat every single time; feeling like I wasn’t good enough as I looked around and saw the track-star boys and girls flying past me at full speed. I remember having to walk a lot of the mile because my stomach would cramp. I remember stopping to get water. But mostly, I remember that feeling of defeat; of not feeling good enough.
With the World Race coming up, and trying to get my mind, body, and spirit stronger, I’ve been making efforts to get to the gym more often on days off. But I’ve also been working out with one of my girl friends from work during our breaks when we’re on doubles at the restaurant. You can imagine my disdain when on the first day we started these workouts, Jessica said, “I’m going to run a mile on the treadmill!”
”I’m not a runner“ flashed across my mind like a blinking neon sign. And then I confirmed the flashing sign to be true by proclaiming aloud, “Yeah I don’t really run…”
But somehow, that neon sign was turned off by a voice in my heart that whispered, “But what if you tried running?Maybe you could.”
You see, sometimes I think the feelings of defeat from our pasts can somehow try to control the progress, success, and rewards of our future. So often times, we allow ‘you’ve never been’ to become ‘you’ll never be.’ We allow ‘you never have’ to become ‘you never will.’ We allow ‘I never could before’ to become ‘I can’t now.’
You know what’s missing? The ‘maybe.’
Maybe- I am.
Maybe- I can.
Maybe- I will.
So I did.
It’s only been a few weeks, but I’ve been getting on that treadmill, and running for my life, ya’ll. And ya know what? I can run! So much so that I recently hit an 8-minute mile; just like the fast kids in elementary school used to reach!
After reveling in this excitement in recent days, I decided I wanted to hit my little record time again. Monday afternoon, I went into the gym ready to run.
But before I got on the treadmill, I climbed the stair master, so my legs were already tired. While running, I kept looking down at my feet rather than looking ahead. Several times, I needed water. Mid-run, my laces came undone and I had to stop and tie my shoes. And more than once, I had to slow down because I couldn’t go as fast as I wanted. The goal of the charting an 8-minute mile was quickly out the window on Monday afternoon.
…But then came Tuesday.
“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance.” (Romans 5:3)
I didn’t wear myself out on another machine, but rather stretched and walked a little before I started running. I didn’t look down at my feet and question my steps, but rather looked straight ahead and kept my goal in focus. I was sure to have a full water bottle in case I got thirsty. I was sure to tie both of my shoes nice and tight. And I knew I may have to slow down like I did on Monday, but that that would be okay, because it was part of building up my endurance.
On Tuesday, I not only ran my 8- minute mile, but I broke my own record and ran it at 7 minutes and 35 seconds; faster and stronger than ever before!
In this little running journey, I’ve found such a parallel with day-to-day life, and embracing the beautiful ‘maybe’ over my own.
Maybe- we don’t reach the goal we set out to reach originally. Maybe- we have to slow down. Maybe- we don’t tie the laces tight enough and we have to stop to fix their knots. Maybe- our water bottle is empty of the Living Water we need to sustain our journeys. Maybe- we look down and get distracted by the footsteps of our past.
But what if those ‘maybes’ are necessary?
If you want to go faster, you first have to slow down. If you want to tie your laces tighter, you first have to untie them. If you want to be hydrated, you first have to be thirsty. And if you want to move forward from your past, you have to know where your feet have already stepped.
If you want to run, you also have to rest.
So maybe tomorrow is a new day to be more prepared, more ready, and more determined than yesterday. Maybe tomorrow is an opportunity to not only meet that original goal you set, but to exceed it.
I want to encourage you in the beautiful ‘maybe’ that’s resting over your life today, in whatever area it may be resting over. Maybe you couldn’t yesterday, but you can today. Maybe you need to remind yourself that you’re stronger now than you were in elementary school, stronger than you were last year, and stronger today than you were yesterday. Maybe you just have to keep running with that goal you have in mind, and knowing that God is on your side to help you reach it. “What if you tried? Maybe you could.”
I love how in John 20:1 it says “Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdelene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.”
Mary was in utter despair, walking through pain and defeat “while it was still dark.” She couldn’t see past her circumstances or the stormy darkness of our Saviors’ death. But just steps ahead of her, the biggest miracle in history had already taken place! The stone was already rolled away, and Jesus had risen! God had the plan and Jesus’ life in His hands the entire time. And He has yours in His hands too.
“Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you.” (Proverbs 4:25)
Keep stepping.
Keep trusting.
Keep pressing on.
Maybe your miracle has already been done—you just have to keep running to see it.
Two days from now, I turn 29, and two days from now my Adopt-A-Birthday-Box fundraiser ends. I have 41 boxes still left to adopt and I am coming to realize that that goal may not get reached, and that is completely okay. But maybe, it can. Maybe, it will. Maybe God already has that miracle in His hands just a few steps in front of me. And if not, then I can trust that His will is higher than my own. If it’s not the miracle goal I have in mind, then the one He’s planning must be so much better.
In the meantime, I’ll just keep running.
