I am not a sporty girl. I know you are shocked, aren’t you? I totally had you fooled. Alright. I know it doesn’t come as much of a surprise. This girl has never played any organized sport. Ever. I did happen to briefly sneak my way onto a cheerleading squad for a few years, but that is a different story.
When it comes to my physical athletic ability, I am no (insert famous woman athlete here.)
In the 7th grade, my family moved from Oklahoma City to Paoli, America. Having never participated in anything other than the required elementary school physical education class, I was dreading my new schedule which included Girls JV Athletics. Worse, it was on my schedule right after lunch.
On the second day of my adventure in small town America, the JV Athletics Coach loaded us on the bus and drove us out into the middle of nowhere. I distinctly remember thinking, “I’m pretty sure my parents didn’t sign any permission slips for this,” as he dropped us off and drove the bus back towards the school.
The rest of the girls took off running like this was normal. “Yeah, sure. This happened all the time in the city,” I thought to myself. “Strange gym teachers would load up groups of girls and dump them in the country somewhere. No big deal. This is fine.”
When really all I could think about was how this would make a great start to a bad movie. Everyone gets back to the bus and the new girl is missing. Cue scary music.
“Just keep going,” I repeated to myself.
My fear of being left behind fueled me. I really didn’t want to be forgotten on this weird back road so I tried with all that I could to keep up. It is one thing to wish that you could run fast and another to be able to do it. I had a heart full of wishes and shoes full of lead. I was dragging. The group quickly pulled away from me, and I was left alone. Just me and my tummy full of blue Gatorade and chocolate donuts from lunch. Yuck.
Somehow, I eventually made it back to the bus. Yes, I was about five minutes behind the rest of the girls, but I made it red-faced, huffing and puffing, and half dead – So much for not wanting to draw attention to myself as the awkward new girl. I stumbled towards the bus doors. All I could get out in between my gasps for air were… “I’m dying. I can’t breathe. I think… I’m going… to puke.”
The gym teacher was pretty amused by it all. He patted my back, held my arms over my head, and told me to breathe. However, he seemed far less entertained when I puked all over his shoes. At least I felt a little better.
I didn’t care what anyone thought as I crawled onto the bus and laid my head on the cold leather seat. I had made it. It was the longest half mile of my life.
Alright, I might be exaggerating about how much longer it took me than everyone else, but this is my story and that is pretty close to how I remember it. Like I said, I’m no athlete.
Unfortunately for me, this is the story that replays in my mind every time I go to the store to buy new running shoes. Yes, I buy new running shoes often. I have myself convinced that owning new shoes will make me more athletic. I buy them. I search Pinterest for a few beginner workout routines, and I update my playlist on my IPhone.
I lace up my new shoes, and as I run down the driveway, I remember the awkward 7th grader with the tummy full of donuts and remind myself how much I would rather be eating donuts or crafting something instead of running.
It’s just not my thing.
And yet, I have a closet full of running shoes – name brand, barely worn, laced-up with nowhere to go. They are sitting on the shelf not fulfilling their purpose, because every time I put them on, I think about how out of shape I am.
It is the reason people build up to things like marathons. No one wakes up one morning and decides to go run a marathon. Unless of course, you are the fellow for whom the marathon was named, and if I remember correctly, that guy died. Getting up and running a marathon without preparing is just not a good idea. We train to create endurance. The body builds upon the strength of yesterday to push itself into the things it is able to do tomorrow.
The same is true of our Spiritual walk with the Lord.
We spend time in His Word and train our hearts to hear His voice so that we can strengthen our spirits. We condition ourselves to grow into a deeper relationship with the Lord. We prepare our hearts to know His love so that we can love others more passionately and give love more freely. Spiritual strength and supernatural boldness is rarely created overnight – they require exercise.
Unfortunately, too often our Bibles become like the running shoes in my closet. They sit as a reminder of our good intentions. Then, the guilt of not using them makes us want to hide them behind our heels and magazines.
Paul asks his friends in Galatians, “You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth? 8 That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you.” His words can apply to many of us today.
They can apply to those of us who find ourselves training and exercising everything but our spirits. Those of us who would much rather be eating, or crafting, or reading helpful articles on the internet rather than spending time with the One who made us… who waits to be known by us.
So, while I likely won’t be training for any marathons in the next few years, I can be the cheerleader for your soul. I can tell you to lace up and get back onto the road. I can remind you that you will be so glad tomorrow for the time you spend in His Word today!
As the spirit inside of you is fed and grows, you will recognize His voice and His presence and you will be compelled to keep moving forward.
So, keep going, friends!
It doesn’t take a new pair of shoes, or a new Bible, or a new journal. All it takes is one step!
Hope is one step forward when fear tells you to take one step back.
Perseverance is one step forward when life tells you to give up.
Faith is one step forward when you can’t see what comes next.
All it takes is one. But the cool thing about one step forward is that it will remind you that you can take another… And those two steps will testify that you are making progress… Until you look around and realize that you are back in the race.
Just like the girl on the dirt road, repeat after me. “Just keep going.”
Because tomorrow it won’t be as hard as it is today, and the promise is that the Lord will be with us along the way.
“But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:13
