Most of the time I enjoy running, to me it’s a quick and effective way to workout and sweat a little.
This month I am trying to run 4 or 5 times a week, and I am trying to work on my speed as oppose to distance.
One particular day this week, I started to run at the break of dawn, like I do everyday, but my calves were sore from the last day. I really wanted to run through the pain, hoping it would subside as I press on. I had to stop to tie my shoes, but when I went to start again I couldn’t do it. So I turned off my hardcore rap music and turned on my Jesus music instead, and I just started to walk and pray.
I was frustrated that I had to stop running. I kept thinking If I could just run I would get back home so much faster. I had gone to the end and turned around, like we usually do, and kept walking home, and it couldn’t have looked any farther away than it looked at that particular moment.
Usually there are multiple groups of kids walking to school, all holding sticks just in case they need to kill any snakes on their way, but this certain morning I just remember seeing this lady. She was ahead of me, but she was walking slightly slower than me, so I caught up rather quick. I was able to talk to her and find out her name and a few things about her.
Her name is Sizakele, and she is just a year older than me.
We have been told on multiple occasions that the people of Swaziland are a very private people. So when she shared with me that both of her parents had died, and that her best friend’s family had adopted her, I was surprised.
She continued to tell me that she was a grade 1 teacher, but she wanted to go back to college in the city so that she could teach history in the high school. She laughed when she said that the little guys that she is teaching now, cry too much. I found out she also liked to run so I invited her to run with us on Saturday. She told me that she goes to the same church that our team goes to, and that she would greet when she was me on Sunday. I told her that I would remember her name and that I would pray for her.
She didn’t show up on Saturday, and then when I didn’t see her at church on Sunday either, I was feeling discouraged. I had made her a card to give to her, to let her know that I really did pray for her and remember her, but I was not able to give it to her because she never came.
I went running Monday morning, and I saw her again, and I stopped running so I could walk with her the rest of the way. I told her about the card and she asked if she could still have it right away. I ran the rest of the way home and walked back out to the road to give her the card I made her.
There are no words to describe the joy that filled her whole face. Her whole face was radiating happiness, and it looked like there was a little bit of her soul that was shining through. She kept saying how happy she was, and how she was going to read it to her students.
There are amazing things that can happen when we choose to interact with our interruptions instead of ignoring them, or having a bad attitude towards them.
I easily could have gotten frustrated and given up and turned around as soon as I stopped running.
I was also reminded that sometimes doing things for Jesus doesn’t look like anything big, but just to do something thoughtful for someone, like writing them an encouragement card or even just a message on facebook.
I am hoping to connect with Sizakele more, and to visit her at her house.
