Run Your Own Race

My husband ran his 10^th marathon last weekend. A sweaty, grueling, painful 26.2 miles, but he finished well at just over 4 hours.

There were something like 25,000 runners out there, so many sprinted in ahead of him and many others hobbled across the finish line after him.

But they all finished…their own race…their own time.

It seems we’re all somewhere in our own race, doesn’t it? We have this routine, this life with its schedules and its demands and peopled with those who count on us to keep all the plates spinning while we run.

But it seems there’s always someone running their race a little better.

A little faster.

A little cleaner.

Going about it a little wiser.

With a little less frustration and a little more confidence.

Shining a little brighter and raising the bar, so to speak.

And there always will be.

Blessed are those whose ways are blameless,
    who walk according to the law of the Lord.
 Blessed are those who keep his statutes
    and seek him with all their heart—
 they do no wrong
    but follow his ways.

(Psalm 119:1-3)

But the Lord hasn’t set you on the path to run any race but your own.

He has given you your set of circumstances.

Blessed you with your gifts, your talents…your challenges.

He did so knowing you’d cross that finish line and that He’d cross it with you.

He didn’t set you on this course to watch you fail or to compare you to the others. The course you run is yours and yours alone.

So, own it.

Run it.

Finish it…in your own time.

It’s yours to win!

Be blessed, my friend,

Debbie