Happy Mondays, ladies! When Amy asked me to write a devotional for HOJ, I began asking the Lord what I could write about that might be a help to others. I have always thought of myself as a girl without talents (I mean, I can scrub a toilet like no other. It’s probably why God gave me a cleaning business, but I’m guessing y’all don’t need a house cleaning tutorial.)  If you stick with me, my hope is something from this will apply to each of us.

   Are you a runner? Have you ever run a race? In late 2011, I went to my pastor to ask his advice on something. We discussed the matter and then, before I could leave his office, he said, “Tenille, may I give you some unasked for advice?” Of course I said yes. His advice??? Wait for it... “You should run with your husband.” 😏 You see, my husband had begun running about two years prior. He had run some 5Ks, 10Ks, a 7 mile cross country, and even a 20K race. I quickly explained to my pastor that the boys and I went to every race and I was Nate‘s biggest cheerleader and that I was his photographer. I wanted him to know that I appreciated the suggestion, but we already did this as a family. (At least in my mind.) He encouraged me again to think about it. I left that day thinking, “I’ll NEVER be a runner!”

   Many times after that day, I could hear his voice in my head. I ignored it again and again. Fast forward a few months to March 2012. My husband decided to take our boys on a run for PE class one day. I figured this was my chance! I might as well go too. After all, my boys were young so how hard could it really be to keep up? 🤣🤣🤣 Go ahead, laugh. You know where this is going. I couldn’t keep up. I couldn’t even make it around our block!! Anyone who knows me, knows that did not bode well. I am, shall we say, slightly competitive. I made it my personal mission to be able to run ONE whole mile without stopping. It took a few weeks but I finally accomplished that goal and it took me 16 minutes. (My husband could do it in around 6 - 7 minutes.) I had to get faster and so I kept running until I did.

   Realizing that I could run ONE mile made me think I might be able to do a 5K (3.1 miles). I set out to train for it. I signed up for a race and then made a training schedule. After that first 5K, I said, “I’ll never run farther than that!”

   At some point, my slight competitiveness kicked in and I found myself signing up for a 10K (6.2 miles) and then a 7 mile cross country race in November- in Iowa! Y’all, it’s cold and wet and snowy in November, in Iowa!! This race had several creeks to cross, some timber to run through, hills to go up and even mud to slosh through. I had to train a little differently for this race. (Stay with me – we are going somewhere with this, I promise.)

   Guess what came after the 7 miler? A half marathon! That’s right. This girl who said she would never run more than 3.1 miles signed up for a 13.1 mile race! Making it through 7 gave me confidence to try for more. But this time, I needed a new training program. I found a running partner (or 2) that encouraged me along the way. I had to be consistent in my training runs. There was always consequences if I skipped training runs. My pace would suffer. I quickly realized it would take a major commitment to be able to finish a half marathon. There was way more mental preparation needed, as well as hydration and fuel during the race and training runs. I had not needed these things for previous races. In April 2013, I ran my first half marathon. Isaiah 40:31 went through my mind repeatedly… ‘they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint..’ I would think, Lord I’m running but I’m real weary right about now, please don’t let me faint. Imagine my relief when that finish line came into view!! I sprinted as fast as my weary legs would allow me to. I couldn’t wait to get my finishers medal when I crossed that line! I had worked so hard for that reward!!

   I ran 3 half marathons within 6 weeks that spring. With the right running shoes, I avoided blisters. With proper hydration and fuel, I crossed the finish line without passing out. With the right stretching, I avoided injuries. Never could I have run a half marathon if I had not started that day in the family PE class. As the years went by, my husband and I continued to run. I ran a few full marathons (26.2 miles) and then my husband inspired me to become an ultra runner (anything over 26.2 miles). I enjoy running road races but my husband enjoys trail running so we did both.  

   My husband ran a 50 mile race! Yes, you read that correctly. 50 mile trail race. Who in their right mind runs 50 miles? But that wasn’t enough for him. You see, there are these races that are 100 miles long. Seriously. Why? I’m really not sure, but he set his mind to it and signed up for one. Let’s be real… I was not (and am not) running 100 miles. That race was not for me! But do you know what was for me? Helping him. I could encourage him. I could support him. I could go on training runs with him, I could make sure he had all the tools he needed… Shoes, socks, clean running clothes, food, water, electrolytes, salt tablets… I could pray for him. And for months that is what I did. I was training for my races and he was training for his. 

   In April 2017, we ran a 50K race (31 miles) with hills and a water crossing. I struggled through but finally finished. It took a little over 7 hours.  The following Saturday we had a long training run and then the next Saturday, he ran a half marathon while I ran the full marathon. The last Saturday of the month was his big day. All the training, time, effort and sweat (lots and lots of sweat) he had put in was about to pay off. That race took much sacrifice, dedication and commitment on his part to be able to finish. I was able to pace him the last 28 miles. It took him 28 hours and 15 minutes to run his race- to FINISH. There were a few times he stumbled and fell. It stormed during the night and made the trails muddy, the lightning added a bit of danger to the course. . He was wet and cold. He was tired. I remember around midnight I had to keep telling him to open his eyes. He was literally falling asleep while running. We ran with headlamps and flashlights so that we could see the trail ahead of us. As I ran ahead of him, I would warn him of the tree roots that crossed our path. He was so exhausted and he wanted to quit more than once. I would not let him. I could not. Before race day, we had already discussed this. He knew he would get to that point. He knew he would need me to push (or literally pull) him through to the finish. We had agreed that unless he was physically injured, I would not allow him to quit.

   You may not be a “runner”, but each one of us has a race to run. God has put each of us here for a purpose. I cannot know the race that God has for you. It may be a 5K race, it may be that your race is a 7 mile cross country, cold, snowy race. It might be that your race is full of rugged terrain and you might get blisters or injured along the way. Perhaps you are in the midst of a half or a full marathon and fatigue is setting in. Don’t quit, friend. Find you a “running partner”-someone who will come along next to you and encourage you. Someone to keep you focused on getting to the finish line. Make sure you have the right tools for your race. That fuel and hydration that is so desperately needed during those races? It’s prayer and personal Bible time. That mental preparation? It’s your personal relationship with the Lord. You might find your race course has some tree roots in the way or it might get muddy in places. You may even fall a time or two. Decide now, that no matter what your race course looks like, no matter how long it is, you are going to keep going. Determine now that when you fall, you will get back up. Resolve to finish strong, the race God has set before you. We cannot compare our race to someone else’s.  Our courses are different. We will face different obstacles along the way. Always remember we are never alone on our race course if we are a child of God!! When we cross the finish line, may we be able to say, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” 2 Timothy 4:7 and may we hear the Lord say, well done thou good and faithful servant.