Run Forest Run

After years of saying, "One day I want to run a long race," I finally did it!
This past Sunday was the 3M half marathon and at 7am, 4000 other runners and I begin the 13.1 mile course all through central Austin.

The weather was perfect, cold and sunny! Although I had my ipod ready to motivate me with rockin' music, I hardly listened to it. Rarely was there a stretch of the course that didn't offer live music and cheering fans-- anyone could run in this environment. Although I'm still sore, four days later, the feeling of accomplishing such a goal is awesome and amazing.

About mile 9 I realized that I was truly going to finish the race and it hit me again why Paul used running so often to exemplify the Christian life. So often I'm overly concerned with the outcome. "Just finish this task" or "just make it through this circumstance" are things I often find myself thinking, but that is backwards thinking for a Christian.

As a Christian the outcome is secured already for us, so our job is to be concerned about the journey. Who can we bring with us? Who can we help along the way? Who in my life needs the love of Christ today?

As I prayed and thanked God for the opportunity to run and the support of my husband as I trained for this race, I also thanked him for my course. "Therefore since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders us and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus!"

It doesn't get much more personal than that. We each have a race marked out for us. May we run with perseverance.