"Good morning friends! Who’s ready for a great race today?" This is the question I asked before the pre-race devotion I was blessed to give before yesterday's Bass Pro Marathon/Half event. With the near record cold temps in the starting line, I went on to say," Now if this has you saying. 'Melissa, I don’t feel ready and in fact if I’m honest I’ll admit that I’m totally regretting my life choice to be here right now. It’s so cold, I’m so tired and I have so many miles ahead of me,' You’re not alone."
And here's the rest of the message I shared...
"But get this, in all of my years of being both a runner and a running coach I have NEVER ever met anyone who regretted completing a half marathon or a marathon. And I mean NEVER. On the contrary, every finisher spoke about the lessons they learned by sticking it out, the grit they obtained that still serves them well, and the pride they have in themselves for completing such a monumental task.
Which means the regret you are feeling right now over the choice you made to sign up for this race (which is going to be amazing by the way) will be replaced by joy, happiness, and celebration when you cross the finish line. But crossing the finish line isn’t guaranteed and regret makes a very hard pillow. And I promise you… if you choose to give up before you reap the reward of your months of training, you WILL regret it. Which is the very reason that it would serve you well to make the determination NOW that you WILL make it to the finish line… no matter how much you might feel like stopping before you get there. And not only that you WILL make it to the finish line BUT that you WILL make it to the finish line with a SMILE on your face.
That you will RUN WITH JOY!! As it says on your running bib!!!
Because this is the deal friends…. the Bible is clear that no one knows what will happen tomorrow… our lives are but a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes (James 4:14). Which means if we are to live a life free from regrets, we must make the most of every day we have… and since we have today, let’s make the most of it!! Isn’t it amazing how running teaches us such amazing life lessons?
On that note, I want to share a message I received on Friday from my dear friend Phillip who I’m proud to say is running his first full marathon today. He said “I'm running my first ever full at Bass Pro this Sunday. I was wondering if you’re going to be able to say the prayer and if you had any advice for me to help me get to the finish line? Anything you may tell people on the first go around?”
And this is some of what I told him and what I would tell everyone attempting a race whether it was their first or one hundredth go around… “First of all… congratulations on making this decision,” I said. I have NEVER met one person who regretted running a marathon or half marathon. Not one! I have however met people who regretted dropping out or not even showing up. That being said… determine that you WILL finish and then give God all the glory. Life is too short to not attempt big things.
“And then remember,” I went on to say…you don’t HAVE to run the race, you GET to run the race. God gave you the ability so trust Him to get you through and to teach you lessons along the way. Crossing the finish line will change you in ways that nothing else can. So run the race with joy and take in all the sights and sounds. We aren’t guaranteed tomorrow so make the day count…
And I would like to add this to what I told Phillip….
If you are a believer, you aren’t running the race alone. Obviously you will have 4,000 runners with you and countless spectators around you but believers have something even greater to encourage us…
Hebrews 12:1-2 tells us that we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses…. These are the saints that have gone before us and persevered through the many hardships and trials of life to make it to the finish line and now serve as examples for us to follow. In light of that example…let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles us today. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.
And this is where it gets good…for the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Did you get that JOY part? JOY was crucial to finishing! Why? Because Joy produces perseverance and perseverance produces steadfastness and steadfastness will get you to the finish line one step at a time.
So once again, run with joy today! Run with a smile on your face as well because, as science proves, running while smiling lessens a persons perception of pain and makes the mind happy! Which then makes the heart happy! And when the heart is happy, the legs are happy and when the legs are happy, they will get you to the end. And that’s where all of your hard work will pay off and you will reap the rewards of your labor. And that’s also where the food and party is!"
"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing." 2 Timothy 4:7-8
And you know, running with joy isn't just crucial for finishing a marathon, it's crucial for finishing the spiritual race of life as well. You see, as believers, we will all face trials, tests, tragedies, and troubles. But we must press on, knowing that, like Paul, we will one day reap a reward far greater than we could ever imagine for doing so. We will receive "the crown of righteousness!" And we do this by following the example of Jesus who "for the joy set before Him" endured pain and suffering beyond imagination to finish the work the Father had given Him. Let us be found just as faithful!
Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding us that we can be joyful in all situations by keeping our eyes on You and remembering that there is in store for us a crown of righteousness when we reach that final finish line. Help us to be found faithful Lord that we might do our part in making heaven full and working hard until the day You call us home. It's in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen.
Happy Running!
*On a side note, Phillip (pictured above) ran with joy, completed his first marathon, and gave God all the glory!!!
*On a side note, Phillip (pictured above) ran with joy, completed his first marathon, and gave God all the glory!!!
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