In my last post on Friday, I mentioned that I was about to run my first ever full marathon. I had intended to write something here for you all on Saturday, but I found that my need to let my body and mind recharge took priority over quite a few other things. So, today, I give you a few nuggets from it.
One of the first things I should tell you is that it rained. Not that nice, gentle rain, but a downpour. About 5 minutes before we started, we all got drenched, and it was like that for the first 2-3 miles. It stopped for a bit, and then, around mile 8, it started up again, lasting through around mile 17 (oh, and throw in a little pea-sized hail along with it). Once again, it was that drenching, downpour kind of rain.
I actually found that the rain itself didn't bother me too much. It helped keep my body from having to work so hard to keep cool. In a way, the rain served as sweat. This helped keep me fresh for the rest of the race, which, believe me, I needed.
Once I had finished, and as I was thinking about a nap on the couch in the early afternoon, I thought about life as a marathon, and the role of the 'rain' in life. We have sayings, such as, when it rains, it pours. In other words, when bad things come, they just seem to dump down on us.
And yet, I really do think that those rains serve a great purpose in life. They give us the strength we need when life wears on. If we didn't have those rains, we would expend unnecessary energy on things that don't really matter. But the rain forces us to focus on what is important, and that, in turn, gives us a means of dealing with things down the road.
I needed that extra energy once I hit mile 22 or so. There were times when it was a struggle to keep one foot moving in front of the other. And yet, I cannot help but think that the rain saved my body quite a bit of energy that it would have spent on trying to cool me off. That energy was needed later on in the race, and so I am thankful for that rain.
When we think about life, we recognize that 'rain' will come. God never promised us a nice, easy, care-free life. Instead, He prepared us for the inevitable rain that will fall. His intention in that is that we learn that He has truly created us with a wonderful body, soul, and mind which can learn, adapt, and grow, especially when we encounter the rain. And then, what we learn from those rainy experiences gives us wisdom to know how to better handle situations later in life. The rain focuses us on what is important, and gives us the means of dealing with life when similar situations arise later.
What 'rain' in your life has given you strength now, as you look back on what you endured? Where all do you see God's hand, not only in taking care of you, but in growing you to be everything He created you to be? And just in case you recognize those times you have also failed to grow from the rain, remember that Jesus did what He did on the cross and in His resurrection just for you.
For those who are interested, I did meet both of my goals, of merely finishing the race, and of finishing in under 4 hours. My time was 3:58:01.
One of the first things I should tell you is that it rained. Not that nice, gentle rain, but a downpour. About 5 minutes before we started, we all got drenched, and it was like that for the first 2-3 miles. It stopped for a bit, and then, around mile 8, it started up again, lasting through around mile 17 (oh, and throw in a little pea-sized hail along with it). Once again, it was that drenching, downpour kind of rain.
I actually found that the rain itself didn't bother me too much. It helped keep my body from having to work so hard to keep cool. In a way, the rain served as sweat. This helped keep me fresh for the rest of the race, which, believe me, I needed.
Once I had finished, and as I was thinking about a nap on the couch in the early afternoon, I thought about life as a marathon, and the role of the 'rain' in life. We have sayings, such as, when it rains, it pours. In other words, when bad things come, they just seem to dump down on us.
And yet, I really do think that those rains serve a great purpose in life. They give us the strength we need when life wears on. If we didn't have those rains, we would expend unnecessary energy on things that don't really matter. But the rain forces us to focus on what is important, and that, in turn, gives us a means of dealing with things down the road.
I needed that extra energy once I hit mile 22 or so. There were times when it was a struggle to keep one foot moving in front of the other. And yet, I cannot help but think that the rain saved my body quite a bit of energy that it would have spent on trying to cool me off. That energy was needed later on in the race, and so I am thankful for that rain.
When we think about life, we recognize that 'rain' will come. God never promised us a nice, easy, care-free life. Instead, He prepared us for the inevitable rain that will fall. His intention in that is that we learn that He has truly created us with a wonderful body, soul, and mind which can learn, adapt, and grow, especially when we encounter the rain. And then, what we learn from those rainy experiences gives us wisdom to know how to better handle situations later in life. The rain focuses us on what is important, and gives us the means of dealing with life when similar situations arise later.
What 'rain' in your life has given you strength now, as you look back on what you endured? Where all do you see God's hand, not only in taking care of you, but in growing you to be everything He created you to be? And just in case you recognize those times you have also failed to grow from the rain, remember that Jesus did what He did on the cross and in His resurrection just for you.
For those who are interested, I did meet both of my goals, of merely finishing the race, and of finishing in under 4 hours. My time was 3:58:01.
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