As I type this, I am resting from a half marathon I ran with my son this morning. 13.1 miles. I'd like to say I was a machine. I wasn't. The run moved me ugly.
The first several miles my son and I ran side by side. This is how we did our long training runs; the longest of which was 10 miles. But today, I made it quite clear that if he felt the energy, he has complete freedom to run HIS pace, not mine. He took me up on it and finished roughly 19 minutes before me and took first place in his age group. I'm so proud.
(Funny thing while we were running. He said, "if you're working on a blog post right now, here's a thought: I just keep one foot going in front of the other. I don't think about the time or the terrain. Blog THAT.")
Here are some thoughts that did run through my mind during and after the race. They are for your consideration as you seek to serve others:
Run YOUR race. Don't run someone else's. We each have a pace. If we try to run like someone else, we'll either run ourselves to death or reach a level of boredom and we'll soon depart the effort.
Stay hydrated. The minute a runner gets thirsty, he's already dehydrated. It's too late. Better to stay hydrated by drinking even when thirst isn't the reason. In other words, take time off even when things are going good and you don't feel the need.
It's a marathon not a sprint. You may have heard this one before, but think about it again. Life isn't a sprint. Going all out all the time isn't healthy in the long run. And life is a long run. Working with people is messy. It takes time to make an impact for God in ministry.
Invest in your rest. When I was going down hill, I tried to remember to savor the ease. Going downhill in a marathon usually means you will be going uphill again. So invest in the time when it's easy. Hills are part of the journey. Sabbath time; time off; date night - these are all times to be cherished not only for their own sake, but for the future times when your energy will be called upon.
I may not have finished first in my age group (in fact, I believe I finished 92 out of some 100 or so runners). But I really enjoyed knowing my son and I not only finished, we finished our own respective races.
Learn the lessons from a marathon experience and you'll be Serving Strong!
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