Today was the day of the half marathon that I was going to run with friends here, but instead I’m inside going through a box of tissue and counting down the hours before I can take more Dayquil. Wow, I reminded again of how weak I am. My throat got a little scratchy yesterday afternoon, but I thought some sleep and Vitamin C would take care of that. I went to bed early with my running clothes laid out, my bib number and shoes next to that. Around one o’clock I gave up any attempt to sleep. What was the point? Because at one I realized that the now flaming throat and new symptoms of discomfort were nothing more or less than a cold that would keep me from resting enough to travel 13 miles with my now aching body. I was wide awake mainly because of the sneezing so I dragged my poor little body to the couch to pout.
I really wanted to do this thing, but no matter how much or little I trained and for how long it didn’t matter. All that it took to take me down was a couple of germs maybe picked up on a door knob or greeting a new acquaintance.
That’s when I realized the perfect teacher was taking advantage of a moment that we in the world of education call a “teachable moment.” Yes I laughed when I wrote that last sentence. Anyways…I was reminded again of how strong and mighty my God is, because before I was even born he knew that the race of life I would run would be marked by greater weaknesses than just colds. He knew my sin would cripple me and so he ran the race for me. He didn’t just complete it. He had complete victory. Because of his victory, I have victory too. Thank you, God, for being mighty to save. He freed me to run the greater of these two races with my eyes fixed on him as the author and perfecter of faith. That’s a cool thing to remember. It is good for me to be reminded that the outcome of this life race has not been determined by my own performance, but instead it has been secured by the victory already obtained by my Savior.
That’s the reason I can have joy today and celebrate between the sneezes…
By the way, I am so proud of my friends who did this race today! It is a big accomplishment and I can’t wait to see the pictures! Congrats! You guys are great!
