Run the Race
Several times in the Bible our everyday life in Christ is described as running the race. Our whole life is described like a marathon. This past weekend was the 2016 Portland Marathon and I can’t believe it was 10 years ago on October 6, 2006 that Doug and I walked the Portland Marathon. Some of you know that I am not a walker. Doug enjoys walking. So, to walk the marathon was truly a feat! I never considered myself being a participant in a sport, I would rather watch. But, in 2005 I watched Maureen Willard do the Portland Marathon and I saw that walkers and runners were of every size, shape, and age. I jokingly said to Doug, “We can do this, let’s do it next year!”
As the time approached for training I began to doubt this whole thing but decided to look up through the website Portland Fit what it would take to do this. After reading the website we decided to give it a try. At that time I would walk at the most two miles; to think of walking 26.2 miles was unfathomable! We started the training by adding one mile every weekend either Saturday or Sunday. We did most of our training around the Portland area and at times different friends would join us in our walk. We traveled to Sacramento for a vacation where we had a family reunion and at that time we needed to do 12 miles. I will never forget when we returned back to the family my brothers and sisters came out and gave us victory cheers and high fives. I felt like we finished the race and I was encouraged to press on towards the goal of the marathon!
One of the suggestions in preparation for the marathon was to go only 18 miles. Doug and I walked the downtown Esplanade 6 times around. We started at 8 in the morning and finished at 3 but after the 18 miles, every part of my body ached and I really wasn’t sure if I could make 26.2 miles. We persevered and continued to walk and continued the training. We would bring a cooler with ice cold water so after walking we could give our feet some relief. It looked really odd to some onlookers but it felt so good!
Finally, the big day arrived. Several days before the marathon, our son Ted and his wife Stephanie decided to walk the marathon with us. It was very special to have them with us. However, on the fourth mile when I went to tuse one of those honey buckets, I did not check to see if the lid to the toilet was up so I got my pants and socks wet. It was awful! After a few miles I got a huge blister on the bottom of my right foot. We bought the best socks and during training I was really proud that I did not get a blister but because my socks were wet it was inevitable. After 18 miles I began to doubt if I could finish but through Doug’s comforting words of encouragement and a paramedic who bandaged me up I persevered one step at a time. It hurt but there was a fellow walker who came from Virginia, saw that I was hurting and gave me an extra strength Tylenol and that helped to tolerate the last few miles!
After 10.5 hours we reached the finished line. By that time all the bands were gone and we were one of the last walkers. The large balloon arch was still there but Bill Macleod and my children and grandchildren were there to congratulate us! It was the most exhausting but exhilarating feeling I have ever experienced in my life.
You and I are on this “marathon” journey and like the Portland Marathon there are challenges that I face in my life every day. I know it takes discipline and “training” to be a follower of Jesus and at times I find it hard to follow through. I experience “blisters” that hurt and pain that can last for a while and I cry out to Jesus for help. I make mistakes and fail to see a simple thing like the toilet lid down and have to live with the consequences of my choices. I experience community as people who are also running the race give me the support I need. And like the paramedic who bandaged me up, Jesus is there to walk with me and bandage and heal my wounds.
You and I can do this “marathon” life one step at a time, fixing our eyes on Jesus and trusting in the character of God, His Will, and His Word. We know there is a goal and that is Heaven. There is a homecoming that awaits us that is beyond our wildest imagination! Jesus holds the banner of love as you have persevered and finished your marathon of life. He welcomes you with open arms, looks into your face and says “Well done, good and faithful servant!”