Sunday, March 3, 2013

The One Who Endures

Note: Happy New Year! LOL. I realize it has been months since I blogged and I could give about three million reasons why. Instead, I'll just commit to finding the time to write. You can't get better without practice...which is probably why I only played the clarinet for two years. 

A good friend of mine pushed me to do something beyond my wildest dreams: sign up for a half-marathon. I'm not exactly a running novice. I have participated in a few 5Ks and I love to run in the spring, summer and even fall.  But there's something so brutal about running during the winter months. Your skin gets chapped. Your hands are frozen. Tears slide down your cheeks. Your nose runs. Your lungs struggle to adapt to that frigid air. That "gentle breeze" which provides welcome relief the rest of the year now feels like punishment.

That mummy you've seen running around Lake Hefner every Saturday morning? That would be me.

It's been said that the greatest athletes in the world often have a catchphrase that keeps them going; a few words they can draw upon in the most grueling moments of competition to remind them why all of the pain is worth it. I'm not an elite athlete, but I do have a phrase.

Keep going. 

I figured out a long time ago that if I stop or even allow myself to hesitate for a moment, I will stop running. For me, there's no such thing as a quick break--I'm either running all the way or walking. And while there is absolutely nothing wrong with walking, it won't help me reach my goal. I've got to keep running.

Keep going. 

And such is life. Personally, there are at least three things in my life at the present moment that seem too difficult for me. While on the trail of everyday, I have been repeating all the wrong phrases:

It's too hard.
What if people judge me?
Remember the last time I tried...and failed?
What if I fail again?

My thoughts are causing me to break stride.

Thankfully, there is a voice that calls out to me in the lowest moments--those times when I'm not running, walking or even crawling. As I stand still, I hear those two words; a simple command to lead me where He wants me to be.

Keep going. 

Maybe you're not running a marathon, but you are trying to start your own business at a time when the media says you're crazy to do it. Perhaps you want to get out of a dead-end relationship...or find the courage to love again. Maybe you are desperately trying to break free from some addiction or stronghold in your life when it seems like everyone else around you views it as no big deal.

I have two words for you--not from me, but from my Coach.

Keep going. 

"I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."--Philippians 3:14

See you at the finish line.



Be Encouraged, 

K. 






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