My eyes strained forward as I gasped for breath and continued running. The mile stretch of country road ahead of me sliced through green fields on both sides and then got swallowed up by the shadows of a thick forest. Along the road, I could just make out a faint silhouette of another runner nearing the trees. With my eyes fixed on the goal, I surged ahead!
Twenty minutes earlier I had been jogging side by side with my sister when my cell phone buzzed and I had to pause to take the important call. Before answering I told my sister to keep running because I would catch up to her in a few minutes. The call took a little longer than I expected so when I looked up at the road ahead of me, my sister had already turned the corner, disappearing out of site miles ahead.
Feeling responsible to fulfill my commitment to finish our run togather, I kicked my body into high gear and began running as fast as I could. After about a mile of flat out running and still no sight of my sister, I began to feel discouraged, wondering if I would ever catch up. I doggedly pressed on ahead, hoping to see her within reach once I rounded the next corner!
When I first caught site of her nearing the forest I was frustrated by the distance still between us but I had hope that I could still catch up! Gathering all the strength I had left, I pursued my goal into the forest and then out onto more country road leading through green pastures. As my sister ran like a rabbit in front of me, my side began to ache and my whole body broke
out in sweat as the summer sun beat down.
out in sweat as the summer sun beat down.
I am going to be honest with you, I never did catch up to my sister! She arrived at our home driveway 60 secon
ds before me. But the gap had been closed considerably between us as I kept my eyes fixed on catching up to her.
ds before me. But the gap had been closed considerably between us as I kept my eyes fixed on catching up to her.
As I reflect on the run that day I can’t help but be reminded of my own life’s narrative journey. Along the
story road of my life there are points where I am slowed down to a walking pace. There are other points of urgency where I go faster than I ever thought I could! Sometimes I loose sight of the goal ahead of me, getting discouraged and feeling dismayed. Then I am given a glimpse of what is to come and I surge forward in hope!
story road of my life there are points where I am slowed down to a walking pace. There are other points of urgency where I go faster than I ever thought I could! Sometimes I loose sight of the goal ahead of me, getting discouraged and feeling dismayed. Then I am given a glimpse of what is to come and I surge forward in hope!
There are many pixels of my life that I believe already fit into this running down the road picture. My hope for this blog is to share with you some of those tiny stories as they continue to unfold. But I also want to be clear, I am not the one who is writing my own story. My little life narrative was written from before the beginning of time and is being unfolded daily by my Heavenly Father!
|Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set out before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1-2)|
