The end of the trail at Washington Park has a pretty steep hill that leads into one of the most beautiful spots on the island, overlooking the water. I never even attempted to run up that hill, thinking it was too steep for me. This day in particular was different. Just a couple of minutes prior to arriving at the last, big hill, God spoke to me so clearly, something that, at that point, never really happened. He had given me a word for myself about training camp, and I was just really pumped about it.
The view from the top of the hill at Washington Park.
I arrived at the hill and decided to give it a shot. ‘Just a short little spurt, part of the way up, and walk the rest,’ I told myself. But as I began to slowly jog up that hill, God spoke to me again. “You can jog real slow, barely making any progress, or you can sprint. You can give the biggest strides you can for thirty seconds, and make it all the way up that hill.” And so I sprinted to the top of the hill, for the first of many times.
I had forgotten all about the exchange for months. I haven’t exercised as much as I should have on the Race, which is a shame, because God generally drops His wisdom on me in some way when I do. But the last couple of days, I have found myself out for a jog in the stifling afternoon heat of Cambodia. Don’t ask me why I choose to jog in the hottest part of the day, I just do. Don’t worry, Mom and Dad, I’m staying hydrated!
Jumping into a swamp last night at sunset.
So the other day, I was out for my run and my pace began to slow. I was still jogging, but my stride was much smaller than it had started. Suddenly, God reminded me of everything He had told me that day last year. And as I picked up my pace, lengthened my stride, He spoke even more. He told me that I could apply this same concept to ministry and to the Race. If I only have so long to give, give all I have in that time. I only have eighteen days until the Race is over and I’m home in America. He told me to take the biggest strides I can in those nineteen days. Dig deeper and give it all I have, both in ministry (teaching English and yard work) and in the relationships on my team. I can gain so much more ground.
I have been running, walking, sprinting, crawling, trying to catch my breath these last ten and a half months. I’ve heard the Race described as the hardest, best year of your life, and I wholeheartedly agree. There were days where I could barely put one foot in front of the other to keep going. But here I am, so close to the finish line. And I am still running.
Let us run with endurance the Race that is set before us.” Hebrews 12:1
