While gearing up for my third trip over the mountains to see my husband this coming weekend, it dawned on me that this is not a sprint; this is a marathon, and I am ill prepared. I have not trained properly for this race. I am running at a sprinter's pace, and I am growing weary.
I am a sprinter by nature, both physically and mentally. Physically, I have bulky, fast-twitch muscle fiber. I was a jumper and sprinter in high school, and I have never understood the distance mentally. Jogging irritates me, and as far as I'm concerned, any distance over 200 meters requires a motorized vehicle of some sort or at the very least, a bicycle!
Mentally, I must have fast-twitch grey matter. Those who know me well will confirm that there is nothing slow about me (except for the way I wake up in the morning...). I talk fast, I move fast, and I think fast. Several years ago my brother-in-law marveled that in order to talk as fast as I do, my brain had to be working even faster!
Yet in spite of my natural bent toward speed, Ecclesiates 9:11 reminds me that:
"...The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong..."
When life gets overwhelming and challenges arise, God does not call us to be bigger, faster, or stronger. In fact, in Matthew 11:28-30, God invites us to rest:
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
Not only does God invite us to rest, but he invites us to learn -- to train, if you will. And train, I must, for only He can prepare me to run the race that has been set before me, and this race is definitely not a sprint!
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