The Parable of the Race...by Becca

Okay, I'm sure this isn't exactly original but I wanted to share what I've learned lately.

I have run in two races since elementary school, one of which was in May and the other was on the 4th of July.

During the relay race in May I ran on my own, (I didn't know anyone anyway) and I had a lot of time to think. I observed my fellow racers and wondered at their own story. I knew nothing of their lives, their running experience or lack thereof. In turn, they knew nothing of mine. For all I knew this was their 25th marathon or they had just recovered from cancer or had just had their second baby like me.

It would not have been fair to judge or compare when they stopped to walk and say to myself "I'm not walking, they shouldn't be either". because I don't know their reasons. Maybe that was the toughest run of their lives, maybe they have never run that far, ever....it is their race, not mine.

I came away from that relay with a new sense of what life is about. It is about running my race and letting you run yours. After all, I am gonna be accountable for how I run my race and what I do while running (judging or encouraging). The idea is to run your race the very best you can.

Now for the 5k...I ran with a couple of High School friends, Lindsi and Brooke. There were quite a few others there too, which was fun! Well, I hadn't really ran as much before the race as I had planned on. Lindsi hadn't either (so she says) :) so we decided to stick together. Brooke on the other hand had been training, therefore she left us in the dust at the beginning. :)

Long story short, I kept up with Linds pretty well for the first 2 miles. Finally at about 2.5 mile I had to puke! I made it to a corner with a hedge and a garbage can and spit and dry heaved until I felt better. I came back to the corner where Linds was so kindly waiting, feeling better but knowing I couldn't keep running at that pace... I finally told Linds to leave me. I knew I needed to walk most of the rest of the way.

Lesson learned- "no man should run faster than he has strength." I laugh at this because often my lessons are learned just this literally!

Isn't that kinda like life? We want to keep up with our friends, neighbors, peers and you know-we just can't sometimes! We really should be more honest with ourselves and others! Sure, run your best, but don't wear yourself down so far that you might not finish your race!

I did end up finishing strong but only because I stopped to spit and heave and then I walked for a little while. (Lindsi had a stronger endurance than I did, I couldn't run like she was, that's why I threw up.)

For me, both of these were great lessons. I just need to focus on where I am at in the sight of the Lord, run my race the very best I can and encourage others to do the same. No judging, no comparing, no doing things one way because everyone else is...just do my very best.

Nice pic huh? Zach said I ran so fast at the end he was lucky to get anything. He's my man, he's supposed to say stuff life that! :)