Perseverance. I’ve really learned the meaning of this word over the last month or two. Persevere means to refuse to give up; to keep on trying, or to continue in one’s actions or beliefs in spite of problems. When I retuned to the Race I knew God was calling me to persevere and finish what He had called me to, even after difficult and very heartbreaking circumstances.
The Bible references perseverance a couple of times. The first is in Romans 5:3-4. “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” Another time is in Hebrews 10:36, “You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.” Perseverance is also mentioned again in 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.” In looking at the Word I realized that persevering during the last 3 months of the Race would build my character which brings hope, it would enable me to do God’s will so that I can receive what He has promised me, and that I would be following the Word because we have been told to run with perseverance the race set before us.
When God was speaking to me about running the Victoria Falls 1/2 marathon in memory of my stepdad and to raise money for cancer research in the process I knew I was really going to see what it means to persevere. Let’s face it, running is not my favorite thing. I don’t think I can even run an entire mile at once without walking. But I knew God was telling me to run this 1/2 marathon in memory or Mike and raise money for cancer research. I knew I would learn a lot along the way.
The month before the marathon I made a goal to run everyday, saying no was not an option. It was not easy to persevere in training, but I knew it was necessary. There were only 3 or 4 days I didn’t run because of sickness or injury. In reality training is the most important part. God gives us dreams and callings and the only way we can complete them is by ‘training’. We need to increase our knowledge in the areas of our dreams and callings and take steps toward those. Dreams don’t become reality unless you take steps toward them. So, I had to train to be able to complete the 1/2 marathon.
The thought of a 1/2 marathon was still daunting to me even after training. But I had to remember that it wasn’t about me, it was about something much greater, it was about raising money for cancer research in memory of Mike. Four days before the marathon I began to get sick. It kept me from doing my last run of my training and it led to many sleepless nights as I was trying to cough up my lungs. Many people asked if I was still going to run. I know Mike persevered through a lot worse, so I knew I could still run.
The morning of the run I was awake extra early because I couldn’t sleep, my nerves were getting the best of me. We left to walk to the race about 630am. It was a bit chilly, but there was a beautiful sunrise. The 14 of us running jogged the last bit of the way to the start line to warm up. The 1/2 marathon’s start was delayed a bit because the full marathon, which started earlier, had to be stopped because there was an elephant in the way. So I grew a little more anxious, but soon enough we counted down and began to run.
I soon fell toward the back of the 1/2 marathon pack, which I expected. Most of my group would finish the run between 2 and 3 hours, while I figured it would take me about 4 hours. So I ran (and walked) at my own pace, but it led to some really cool moments. Twice in the course you would run and turn around. The first was at the start, we ran across the bridge from Zimbabwe to Zambia over the falls then we turned around and ran back over the bridge. As I was still running toward Zambia my squad mates had already made the turn around and were heading back to Zimbabwe, as they passed me they all cheered me on. It was so encouraging! The next time was about 1/2 way and I could tell I had began to slow down, but I would pass my squad mates and they would cheer me on and ask how I was doing. It gave me more strength to persevere on. Life is the same way, we persevere toward our dreams and goals and there are people along the way that cheer us on.
Encouragement also came from strangers. About 40 minutes into the 1/2 marathon some of the runners of the full marathon (who started earlier and ran the same course as us but did it twice) began to pass me. I then felt really slow, but realized they were running 4 minute miles. The awesome thing was during the course of the race at least 2 dozen of them said encouraging words as they passed me. They said I was doing good and to keep it up. If they could do the full marathon surely I could do the 1/2. Also, the volunteers and armed game wardens were so encouraging. As we persevere through life there will be stranger who encourage us, some without even realizing it. About half way through I passed a lady who had encouraged me earlier as she went by, but now she was collapsed on the ground sobbing as I ran by. About 30 seconds after I passed her I had to turn around. It was my time to encourage her. So I ran back to her and prayed for her. I wanted nothing more than for her to get up and finish the race with me, but there she lay. I’m not sure if she got up and finished, but I learned sometimes we will be the strangers encouraging others as they persevere.
About 2/3 the way through the race I was struggling. The protein bar they had given me at the 1/2 way point had already worn off. I had already drank all the water I had been hoarding from the last drink station. The blisters on my feet were painful and I was struggling to keep a straight line. I felt like I might pass out. This is the point I had a choice to make. I could give in to my body or I could persevere. Tears ran down my cheeks and I knew it would be easier to collapse, but I didn’t start the race to give in when things got tough. I started the race to finish the race. So I persevered. I kept moving and soon there was another drink station and they had oranges for us which were a life saver. God truly gave me strength for the next step and perseverance! Sometimes there is nobody around to encourage you and you have to find your strength in the Lord.
I thought I finally learned perseverance, but God still had more for me to learn during this race. Stay tuned for part 2…
