Marathon

Completing a marathon has been on my mind lately. There's something about watching runners as they complete a race, that makes me want to push myself harder and accomplish the goal that has been set before me. But let me be clear about something, because it's really important that you know this:

I. Despise. Running.

It rates right up there with sticking a fork in my eye. Both of which are unpleasant and cause a great deal of pain, and therefore, you will be hard pressed to see me do either.

While I am not a runner, I have been running a marathon of sorts for the past 21 months. The difference is that while a traditional marathon is run on roads that wind through cities, parks and beside waterways, my marathon has been more like climbing a sandy dune that constantly gives way under my feet. It has been exhausting physically, mentally and spiritually, but being in this vulnerable position has also provided me with the most growth.

Often times, when I was sure that I couldn't take another step, I would stop to catch my breath and say to God. "I can't do this. It hurts too much. Please, just let me go back." But as I turned around to retrace my steps back down, I noticed that the sand had already shifted, taking with it the evidence of who I was and leaving in its tracks a stark reminder of how far I had climbed.

And God would say, "You are no longer the same person you were when you started this marathon. You have pushed too hard and grown too much to go back now."

"But God, can't you see that I am face down in the sand, grasping for your feet? I need you."

"That, my child, is exactly where I want you to be, because I am training you for something that requires more than just physical endurance, and in order to run that race, you will need to rely on me."

It's at those times that I am reminded of the passage in Jeremiah 12:5, that has become a mainstay in this marathon:
"If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses? If you stumble in safe country, how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordan?"

It has been through this marathon experience that I have come to fully understand and appreciate the words of Paul in Acts 20:24:
24However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.

It won't be long before this particular marathon will be finished, and though it may be completed while crawling on my knees, you can rest assured that I will be standing victorious at the top of that mountain.