Every Saturday, the running club I signed up for meets at 8 a.m., no matter the weather! When I say “no matter the weather,” I mean no matter the weather! Even on this mid-January morning with a brutal tri-state cold. It was 17 degrees Fahrenheit outside, the sun was shining bright, and the ground was covered in snow. Yes, you read that right—SNOW! The little lake in the park was frozen solid.
What I love most about this particular run club is how they separate into subgroups: run/walk, 2-3 miles, and 4 miles. I’ve even seen a 9-mile group! A couple of seasons ago, I joined the run/walk subgroup, and now I’m in the 2-3 miles group. Yay for progress!
As we started our watches and began to run on the walking/biking lane, I focused on my breathing. If you don’t know, I have exercise-induced asthma. If I don’t focus on my breathing and take my medication, it’s extremely hard to breathe. (Check out this great video from Fleet Feet for breathing techniques!)
About half a mile in, my sneaker came untied, and I had to stop to tie it. When I looked up, everyone was about 20-30 feet ahead of me. I didn’t speed up to catch up with everyone for two reasons:
- I was trying to maintain my “conversational” running pace.
- If I sped up, I’d tire out faster, and I wanted to make sure I reached my distance goal.
I kept running, watching them ahead of me, and that’s when a thought struck me:
Why do I sometimes look at people in life and wonder, “Are they more highly favored than me because they are ahead?”
At one point, a couple of people turned around at different times and gave me a thumbs up. I returned the gesture and continued at my pace.
It made me reflect more deeply. How often are we placed on a path in life, see others get ahead, and feel frustrated or discouraged? Instead of being upset, what if we chose to encourage and cheer them on? We were all placed on the same path, right? That can’t be a mistake. Maybe seeing others’ success is meant to inspire us to keep running our own race. Yet, we often focus on things that don’t matter, like, Why isn’t anyone turning around and waiting for me? Why are they so far ahead while I’m so far behind? Am I still highly favored?
Today, I want to encourage you with this truth: everyone wins in THIS race. Run it with grace and love, not only for others but also for yourself. You are here on purpose, for a purpose. People in your life may be moving at a different pace than you, and that’s okay. You are still highly favored, no matter your pace in life.
Keep running your race with confidence. You’re doing great.
“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
Deuteronomy 31:8
