It is Good to Learn Those Lessons

“Before I was afflicted I went astray, But now I keep Your word.” Psalm 119:67 NKJV

In a video posted on Tuesday titled “THIS is the moment a South African runner was tripped up during the Durban 10km – before going on to snatch victory,” we see the moment Taylor Kavanagh took a horrible tumble in the early stages of the popular race.

Footage showed Kavanagh being clipped while overtaking a male runner at the 3km mark.

Kavanagh revealed in the post-race press conference that she was irate after hitting the deck.

But the Hollywoodbets Athletics Club member revealed the male runner showed remorse and offered an apology.

Kavanagh said: “My first 5km unexpectedly went by fast, even though the fall kind of threw me off a little bit, I won’t lie.

“But I tried to regain momentum and kept on going as soon as I got back up.

“He came to apologise, which I really appreciate because I must say, I was very furious at that time because it is something you don’t expect to happen often in road running.

If you are going to fall, you’d rather it be at the start and not during the race.

“But it is good to learn those lessons and at least I know that if it happens again one day, I will know what to do…”

Kavanagh went on to become the first female across the finishing line with a time of 31 minutes and 39 seconds. 

And, you know, when it comes to learning lessons, I would have to agree that it is indeed good to experience falls, hardships, and trials. 

They not only teach us that it’s very easy to stumble, but teach us how to get back up again. They also teach us that great victories can follow hard failures--all things that help us to know what to do "if it happens again one day."

This was something the psalmist (most scholars believe it to be King David) alluded to when he said “Before I was afflicted I went astray, But now I keep Your word." 

The psalmist was reflecting on how his seasons of ease and comfort led him to drift away from his spiritual path and moral teachings. The "affliction"—which referred to adversity, suffering, or being brought low—served as a difficult but necessary correction that guided him back to a focused and obedient life.

"It is good for me that I have been afflicted, That I may learn Your statutes." Psalm 119:71

Later in the same chapter, the psalmist even states, "It was good for me that I have been afflicted so that I might learn your statutes," highlighting the ultimate value of suffering as a teacher of humility and truth.

"Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction." Isaiah 48:10

"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28

So, if you're in a season of affliction right now, hang tight my friend and look up. God is not only teaching you but refining you. And while it may be painful now, you'll understand later that God was working it all for your good and His glory. 

Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding us that times of comfort and ease never lead to times of growth. Help us to submit to You in our times of affliction Lord knowing that You will use them to make us more like You. For that Lord, help us to rejoice as we seek to not only KNOW the Word but to LIVE it out. It's in Your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!

Train up a Child to Know the Love of Jesus

“Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6 NKJV

Due to my need to attend an early morning seminar yesterday, I was up and out for my run before the sun came up. Compelled by the Holy Spirit to go a different direction than usual, I ventured into a neighboring housing district. 

As is my custom (for safety reasons) when running before daylight, my external speaker was turned off and I ran in complete silence in order to be fully aware of my surroundings. Because of the low visibility (I had only my headlamp), I was startled when I came upon a young girl sitting on the ground (barely noticeable in the darkness) waiting for the school bus, head intently looking at her phone with headphones on. And it seems she was just as startled as I was because she yelled out, “Jesus Christ!” Before adding, “you scared me!” 

Taken aback by the force of her words and the familiarity with which she took the Lord’s name in vain, I replied "Jesus Christ is Lord” to soften the blow.  I then stopped and smiled at her and said, “Jesus loves you. I really hope you know that.” 

At my words, the young girl seemed to let down her guard and quietly said, “Okay.” We then parted ways after telling one another to have a great day. You can be sure that I prayed, and will continue to pray, for her though. 

And, you know, while I don’t know the girls home situation or her background, it wouldn’t be a stretch for me to confidently say that she has heard the name of Jesus used as a curse word before (probably many times), hence the reason it was the first thing that came out of her mouth. This is something that not only grieves my heart as a follower of Jesus Christ but grieves my heart as a daughter of the King. 

You see, while my mother might have had her faults (like all parents do), she followed the command to “Train up a child in the way he should go.” And even though I strayed from that training for a long season, I never departed from the faith and understand now just how much Jesus loves me. 

Which is the very reason I was pained at the words this young girl spoke and why I pray that she will come to understand just how much she is loved and cherished by the Savior. 

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 

So, if you’re a parent, take the command to train up your children in the way they should go seriously my friend, so they would understand just how much they are loved. And, if you’re not, I pray you’ll never miss an opportunity to remind someone that God loves them so much and that He gave His only begotten Son to prove it. So that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 

Heavenly Father, thank You for loving us so much that You would provide a Way to save us. Help us to truly understand this that we might be emboldened to share this Truth with others that they might take Your precious name in vain. It’s in Your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen.

Happy Running!

BASS PRO MIDWEEK MOTIVATION - Lessons we Can Learn

Hello Runner Friends! 

Welcome back to the Bass Pro Fitness Series

MIDWEEK M😊TIVATI😊N blog!

Now let's get started by talking about lessons and inspirations. This was something I was thinking about after reading the amazing story titled “At 91, Dale ‘Grey Beard’ Sanders reclaims record as oldest hiker to complete the Appalachian Trail” yesterday. 

Talk about inspiring right??? I mean there are people half Dale’s age and half that age that would never attempt what he did! I don’t know about you, but I find his feat not only motivating but challenging! And I hope you do too. 

I hope that you read his story and say to yourself, “If Dale can do that, then I can do (fill in the blank).” “And if Dale could overcome all those hurdles, I can overcome (fill in the blank).”

So without further ado, let’s dive into Dale’s story together and see what we lessons (marked by an *asterisk sign) we can take away from it. 

More than 14 million older adults fall every year in the U.S., perhaps none so often as 91-year-old Dale Sanders.

*Lesson 1: Falling is a part of life. Get used to it. 

By his count, Sanders fell 7 times while reclaiming his record as the oldest hiker to complete the Appalachian Trail. Six were what he calls hard falls, including one that led to a brief hospitalization and another just 200 yards from the finish. But none were enough to permanently divert him from the 2,193-mile (3,530-kilometer) trail that runs between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine.

*Lesson 2: We get to choose whether we stay down after a fall. 

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy defines a thru-hike as completing all of the trail’s sections in any order within a year, allowing for pauses. Sanders started Sept. 6 in West Virginia, hopscotched around with some brief breaks and finished Monday atop Maine’s highest peak, where he paused to pray at the sign marking the summit.

*Lesson 3: Pausing to do what’s important should be a part of your plan. 

*Lesson 4: There’s power in prayer. 

“I had to thank God, and I had to thank my support team and everybody that got me here,” he said.

*Lesson 5: Gratitude keeps the mind happy and the legs moving. 

A long-planned comeback

Sanders, whose trail name is Grey Beard, first set the Appalachian Trail record in 2017 at age 82. Four years later, his 83-year-old friend M.J. Eberhart, aka Nimblewill Nomad, took the title. But within months, Sanders announced his comeback plan.

*Lesson 6: Never rest on your past accomplishments. Always strive to be better… no matter how old you are. 

*Lesson 7: It’s never too late for a comeback. 

While Sanders’ first journey was easier than he expected, the latest was considerably harder. Despite six months of training, he said he wasn’t in the best condition when he returned to the trail.

*Lesson 8: Age might make things harder but it doesn’t make things impossible. 

“And even today, I feel that I should probably be in better shape than I am,” he said last month. “But I just have to always go back and say, ‘But I am 91, so I’m blazing new ground hiking long distances like this.’”

*Lesson 9: Celebrate what your body can do. Everyone grows older but we don’t have to grow up… keep a youthful and optimistic mindset. 

In June, Sanders was descending Killington Mountain in central Vermont when he fell forward in a boulder field, scraping his legs, arms and hands.

*Lesson 10: Scrapes heal. 

“Thank God nothing got broken, but I was banged up,” he said. “I didn’t rub the blood off, I just kept hiking.”

*Lesson 11: Thank God and keep going. 

Weeks later, his left arm went numb and he ended up at a Maine hospital. What doctors initially feared was a stroke turned out to be a pinched nerve, but though he was soon cleared to resume hiking, he considered giving up.

*Lesson 12: When considering giving up, see lesson 13. 

He returned home to Tennessee in early August to be with his wife, whose mother had just died, and she convinced him to press on.

*Lesson 13: Find a cheerleader and make them a forever part of your life. 

His mission changed along the way

Some of Sanders’ best days were in Pennsylvania, where he enjoyed well-maintained trails and treats delivered by “trail angels.”

*Lesson 14: Life is full of ups and downs. The best days are filled with both. 

“When people are taking care of you and bringing you caramel frappes on the trail, the rocks don’t matter,” he said.

*Lesson 15: - Enjoy the good times in life. They remind us that the bad ones aren’t so bad. 

In fact, Sanders has become something of a star among fellow hikers. Thousands more follow him on social media, which surprised Sanders and caused him to expand his mission beyond reclaiming his record.

*Lesson 16: Don’t let praise produce pride. Remain humble and keep pressing on. 

“I wanna get it back, but right now, that’s secondary,” he said. “Right now, what’s the most important thing – and it’s one of the things that surprised me – is that people are motivated and given encouragement by my efforts.”

*Lesson 17: Live to inspire others to do hard things. 

Meredith Ewenson, who met Sanders in June while leading a hike in New Hampshire for 10 other women, said he embodied not just the idea that anything is possible, but that the journey matters most.

*Lesson 18: Don’t be so focused on the finish that you don’t enjoy the journey. 

“Seeing it in real life is something that I’ll definitely remember forever,” she said.

Ewenson said her group spotted Sanders early in the morning, but it wasn’t until he blazed by them hours later that they saw the Grey Beard logo on his T-shirt and realized who he was. They caught up with him that night at an Appalachian Mountain Club hut, arriving around 4 p.m.

“I got here at noon,” he told them.

The next morning, she and others cheered as Sanders performed a “victory dance” before setting off again.

“My first thought was ‘Wow, his mobility is insane,’” Ewenson said. “His face on that body just doesn’t make any sense. My brain couldn’t compute how he was so impossibly fit for being that age.”

*Lesson 19: We all have to grow old. But we all get to choose how we do that. Seek to treat your body like the temple that it is and it will not only serve you well but will inspire others to do the same. 

Off-trail adventures

Sanders was born in Kentucky in 1935, two years before the Appalachian Trail was completed. Bullied as a child for his small size, he gained confidence in solo sports like acrobatics and swimming. He later served in the Navy and retired in 2002 after a long career in parks and recreation.

*Lesson 20: Don’t let your early circumstances dictate your course of life. 

Sanders holds numerous other age-related records, including becoming the oldest person to paddle the entire length of the Mississippi River, an 87-day trip he started on his 87th birthday.

*Lesson 21: Celebrate birthdays with style. 

On his latest adventure, he tackled obstacles like downed trees or steep scrambles with vigor, though he started to get a bit wobbly toward the end of one 12-mile (19-kilometer) day. He laid down on the trail, said he needed a power nap and briefly fell asleep.

Two minutes later, he got up and kept hiking.

*Lesson 22: Life is full of challenges and ups and downs. Rest when you need to. Make recovery a priority. But never quit moving. 

And there you have it friends. There are so many lessons to learn from people like Dale Sanders who choose to make the most of life. And that’s where we have lesson number 23…. We only have one life and it’s short. So, live it in such a way that you wear yourself out and inspire the next generation to keep getting up and to keep hiking. Happy Running!