I ran a marathon today. I never thought I could run a marathon. I never really wanted to run a marathon. But, in April, I stumbled upon a running group that turned out to be a direct sign from the Holy Spirit. Now, I am not one to overspiritualize things. I just felt that God was saying, "Have some faith, Danielle." So, I trained for 6 months. Every Saturday up at 6:30am, not because I was dying to say, "I ran a marathon," but, because God commanded me to do it.
If you have never run a marathon, you have no idea what the process is like. It is nothing like what you train for. There are moments of joy, there are moments of severe pain, and there are moments you are thankful you believe in Jesus because you might just return to see him before the whole event is over!
Today, I learned that being a perfectionist is shot out the window. Today, I learned that you can train, but you cannot predict the way things will go. Today, I learned just what God wanted to teach me, "have some faith." He did not want to teach me, "have some faith that you will run the best race ever!" Definitely not. Rather, he taught me that no matter how much I try to control the outcome of things in my life, He is God and I am not.
I love the marathon. It is where the rubber hits the road. It is where you find out that even if you think you can do it, there is always a point when you feel like you can't. This is what life is like my friends. When my mom passed away, I felt like I was at mile 20 of the marathon. How can I go on? How can I keep this life pace without her next to me? But, something happened. Jesus came along side me, put his arms around me, and said, "You can go on, because I am with you."
I finished this marathon today because my family and friends were waiting for me at the finish line. Throughout the race, I thought about how much I wanted to cut out but their faces crossed my eyes and I knew I could not let them down. I wanted to see them and for them to put their arms around me. Just like that, Jesus is waiting for you and me at the end of this life. He wants you to finish this life and he tries to flash before your eyes to remind you that he is there. He gives you strength when you have none. He gives you power when you are all out. Jesus runs this life with you and cannot wait for you to show up at the finish line.
If there is any joy I have today, it is not because I finished a marathon but rather, because Jesus has so graciously come alongside me in this life helping and comforting me just when I need it most. I am so thankful that Jesus is there with me when I am stuck at mile 20 thinking I didn't sign up for this suffering because it reminds me of what life can sometimes be like. We never sign up for suffering, but it is par for the course and wouldn't you rather have the King of heaven and earth by your side then trying to struggle across the finish without him.
It is not important that I ran a marathon today. What is more important is that Jesus taught me through his Holy Spirit how to have faith in him despite circumstances. Don't worry, you do not have to run a marathon to learn this. Just come talk with me and you will see that Jesus is not some person that died on a cross and that's it end of story. No, he is a God that is alive and well and thankfully he lives inside of you and me. So, thank you Jesus, if you are reading this. Thank you that you are with me. It's unfortunate I had to learn this running 26.2 miles, but thank you. I will sign up for the next one looking forward to what you will teach me.
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