Yesterday I decided I was a maniac for choosing to train for a 5K. I hate to run and I felt like I wasn’t making any progress. It hurt my lungs, my legs, everything to run, and I could barely manage a half mile. How in the world would I ever go 3 miles by October? I wanted to quit. Watching Laura breeze ahead of me effortlessly was even more discouraging although she constantly is encouraging me to keep going. I was feeling my age.
But, I decided to give it another try. Laura wasn’t going to let me poop out anyway. Plus, I told everyone on my blog I was doing this, so I have a lot of accountability and face to save. As I started to jog with a super bad, I-can’t-do-this attitude, something occurred to me.
I had been running too fast! No wonder I was exhausted! I decided to try to run slower. I mean who cares if everyone else runs faster than me and Laura is a 1/4 mile ahead of me? I need to only go at my pace, right? So, I slowed down and found a pace that worked for me: tortoise speed. However as I rounded corner number one, I was feeling great. At half a mile I was still feeling ok. At 3/4 of a mile I was starting to feel winded, but I knew I could push it and do a mile. At the end of the mile, I felt such a feeling of accomplishment. I know for some of you who run, this seems like such a small thing. But, I have NEVER run a mile in my life. I can walk miles and miles, but running, forget about it! I can do this!!!
It’s very much like the Christian life. When I try to run someone else’s race, it doesn’t work out so well. I get burned out and exhausted. I can only run the race Jesus has marked out for me.
Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
Before I was even born, Jesus knew who I would be, and what my gifts and abilities would be and also what my weaknesses would be and prepared good works for me to do. I glorify God when I accomplish those good works in the power and strength of the Holy Spirit. I do NOT glorify God when in my own strength I attempt to do things not prepared for me. I only exhaust and frustrate myself.
Some people are fast and run a race like sprint. Some people are marathoners. More power to them! Some of us are the tortoises. Even the tortoise finished the race. That’s all God asks of me. Slow and steady wins the race.
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