I have just been running, working, sleeping, and repeating. Holy smokes, there are a lot of injured people right now, and I'm trying to just help get them back to normal but it has been a little taxing being so busy, I'll admit. Half marathon training is also taking up a lot of time, but I'm still really enjoying my training plan by Nike! I have not done the same workout twice, so there's not really the whole "falling into the same old routine" thing going on, which is refreshing. Some of the longer runs are still tough but challenge builds character, right?
Speaking of running and "longer" distances, I got to head out to East Texas yesterday morning for the Tyler Azalea 10K. I've always heard that the eastern part of the Lonestar State is really pretty, so I decided to run a race there and find out for myself! WOW. Everyone was right, as it turns out. First of all, the weather was about 50 degrees and absolutely perfect for race day. Second of all, the course was seriously gorgeous. I've run through some really pretty places (i.e. Disney World, Galveston Beach, Trinity River) and I'd have to rank this race #1 as far as aesthetics go. Tyler has a lot of old, historical homes, which are in and of themselves beautiful to begin with. To add to the intrigue of those homes, all of them had beautiful flowers blooming in front of, around, behind, and in every direction you could see near them.
The course itself was actual pretty great too. There was running on old brick roads around the town square, through neighborhoods, and alongside some of the city's roads. There was a half-mile long hill (literally) at mile 4, which was so tough. Ironically, Thunderstruck came on my playlist at that time so I just laughed as I thought about how the pavement was being struck by my "thunder" thighs. Yeah, I have weird thoughts during races sometimes... To coincide with my weird accompaniment thoughts I also started thinking about hills and running and how it truly is similar to real-life. I apologize if my analogy is too cliche or if you've already thought through it before.
Basically, in life, we go up and down hills, with a few bursts of flat terrain, too. Of course the uphills are parallel to the tougher times in life, the challenges. I think God allows these uphills so we lean on him more, praising Him while we go up, have a hard time breathing, and feel pain. These ascents are where we are reminded so much of God's mercy. He could allow us to just go through the tough stuff on our own, which we deserve; but He doesn't. He pulls us up, all the way to the top of the hill, where we can finally see what we have been climbing toward. Uphills are a blessing, because we grow more and see more of God's power and sovereignty in these times.
Then there are downhills, glorious downhills. These are expressions of God's grace; the better times in life where we don't understand why it's happening, but God is blessing us beyond what we deserve. There can still be glitches if we don't watch our footing or get carried away going too fast, but descending down these hills are often such a relief after climbing up and being worn out. I like to say where there is an uphill, there's always a downhill....sometimes you just have to wait it out and run a really long uphill (like a half-mile long).
Of course there are flat parts of races too, the "day-in, day-out" parts of life. These are often where the race of life is made or broken. Sometimes, in races as in life, I'm guilty of just coasting through the flats, taking days for granted or not serving/loving/learning/praising/witnessing as I should, when this is the perfect time to adjust speeds and push it a little. Flats should be a time to work on different skills. In races, it might be speed, foot strike, cadence, or breathing. In life, it could be seeking out more ministry opportunities, visiting an old friend or loved one, checking something big off the to-do list, etc. Regardless of what it looks like, we should continue to offer praise and adoration to our creator for giving us these opportunities.
If you've never run, I hope the parallels above made some sense; I realize it seems a little scattered. In the end though, in both running and reality, I hope to follow in Paul's footsteps, where in 2 Timothy 4:7 he says, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." I can't wait for the crowns of righteousness awaiting me, but most of all I can't wait to see the One who guided, protected, loved, and was an object of my adoration and worship throughout all of the uphills and downhills throughout my time on earth.
PS Read 2 Timothy 4. The whole chapter- SO good.
PPS What's the most pretty race you've ever run?
Twitter: @jen_being_jen
IG:
No comments:
Post a Comment