Saturday, July 6, 2013

Tired does not mean defeated


 "It doesn't matter how you feel, just how you trust and how you respond."
A dear friend texted this to me the other morning after I told her that it felt like I was  "just trudging through - one foot in front of the other...dealing with one thing at a time with no motivation to do anything else."

There are some things going on in my life that I wish were different.  I'm not gonna lie.  Some things have been downright hard.  And I am tired. 

Her text went on to remind me that even when it feels like I'm running in the sand, God is in the present moment and He will carry me across the finish line if need be.  I love how she knows me well enough to use a race analogy.

 
Marathons (or 1/2 marathons) are long, hard and exhausting.  It is as much mental as it is physical.  You have to go in knowing that it will be a challenge.  Throughout the course you must constantly remind yourself that you are going to be ok.  Because really.  You think you are going to die.  You have to trust your training.  Drink. Breathe. Repeat.  Fix your eye on a short goal (for me it was the next crack in the sidewalk), then set your sight on the next one.  Your purpose is to just. Cross. The. Finish line.  Even if it means crawling across.  Quitting is not an option (well, I guess it is, but really - who wants to be a quitter?). And you will want to quit many times.  I am so glad that feeling tired or even feeling like quitting did not disqualify me from the race. It didn't even make me weak. Taking a break from the running and slowing to a walk did not mean I was a bad runner - it was absolutely necessary.


 We've heard it so many times, it's a cliché: life is a marathon, not a sprint.  Or as Ann Voskamp says, "Life is not an emergency".  Hurrying takes away from the present.  And the present is where God is. I AM.  Emmanuel - God is with us. Although I have a wonderful life, it is not always going to be easy.  There are going to be challenges.  Isn't that what Jesus told us?  "In this life you will have trouble" (John 16:33).  So when I feel like quitting, I have to remind myself that, "honey, every little thing is going to be okay." (Romans 8:28)

I am so aware that there are many around me who are going through difficult situations.  I can't help but think of the families of the 19 firemen who lost their lives earlier this week.  When the news reminds us daily of just how dark things can be, we have got to cling to what we know - that God is always good and you are always loved.  Do you know this?  I mean, really know it?

So girlfriend, if you're tired - I'm right there with you.  I am not a quitter and neither are you.  Let's remind ourselves that being tired does not mean defeat.  Let's set short goals for ourselves and just do the next thing.  Aren't you glad that feeling tired doesn't disqualify you from the race?  It doesn't even make you weak.  It just means that it's time to slow down.  Drink. Breathe. Repeat.

"...If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink."  (John 7:37)
"I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us."  (Philippians 3:14 (NLT))

1 comment:

  1. Amen! Thanks for the reminder that "life is a marathon, not a sprint.'

    ReplyDelete

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