Color Run 5K

Oh. My. Goodness.
I am on a motivation high right now.
I don't even know how I'm going to put all of this down in words, but I suppose I have to try.

Soooo I ran the Color Run 5K on Saturday. Oh my gosh whaaaat? You did? I totally didn't see the thousands of pictures. Okay, bare with me, I actually have a ton more to say than just what happened at the race.

Backstory- Last year I could not run. Like... if it was raining and I had to get to my car I would just walk and deal with being soaking wet haha. And then some time around Thanksgiving I got really, really sick of saying that I couldn't do something. If you don't know me, or even if you do, you might not know that I am actually extremely competitive. For the first time I started to feel like there were two sides of me competing against each other. Half of me felt comfortable just saying, "I can't." I mean if that's the case, then if I completely embarrassed myself in front of someone I could just play it off as an I told you so moment. But then the other part of me was furious. Why wasn't I living up to my potential? Why was I claiming failure as a crutch? Why was I comfortable with being lazy? Guess which side won?

I've always loved working out and eating healthy. I'm talking I loveeee it. But I've always just done free weights and machines and never did any cardio (that's right, breaking the female stereotype). But starting about 4 months ago I started running. Well, more like jogging. Actually if we're being honest, it started out as a fast walk. But it paid off and after tons of pushing myself, having sore knees, and 'giving up' every other day, the day of the race showed up.

You can ask anyone, at the beginning I said flat-out, "I know I won't be able to do the whole thing by any means, but I want to see how far I can go and then walk the rest." Didn't have any faith in myself.

But of course the girl I was running with had run a half-marathon and she took off and there was no chance I was going to be in a crowd of 10,000 people all wearing the same thing, and be alone. So I took off running and stuck with her. 

After the last color station I got tired. Really, really tired. My knees were on fire (literally? maybe? I'm still not quite sure) and it was hard to even get my feet off the ground. I was 5 SECONDS AWAY from just walking the rest of the way. Not an exaggeration. I was done. But then I saw the finish line. I thought we were so much farther away, but it was so close! I have no idea what came over me, but all of a sudden I knew I needed to sprint to the end. Sprint. Ha! But I took off. The pain didn't matter anymore, how long I had gone didn't matter, how tired I was didn't matter, I just wanted to finish strong. And I did. I crossed the finish line, ran the entire 3.2 miles in 28 minutes.

And now we about to get all sorts of spiritual up in here.   

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us."

 Hebrews 12:1

When the end draws near and your time on this Earth is coming to a close, you'll be able to see the finish line. The pain and struggles that you endured won't matter anymore. How tired you are won't even be a factor. Everything that got you to that moment will have been a part of your journey towards Christ. I've heard it said two different ways. 1) Run as hard as you can through this life and cross the finish line strong. 2) You should be so worn-out from giving your all for Christ, that you're dragging yourself across the finish line.

Ya know what I think? Both. I want to be so worn down and empty because I gave everyone 110% in the name of Christ. I want to have nothing left. But when I know that the end is near I want to be rekindled with the knowledge that I'm about to meet the One I did it all for. I want to finish strong. I want to simultaneously give my all so that I can finish strong. This life is not about making our name known, it's about making His name great.

All glory to Him. All praise to Him. My all for Him. I run this race with endurance, casting aside sin that clings to close, to be a witness for His glory. I want to hear "Well done, my good and faithful servant."

Don't let yourself believe that you can't do something. Don't settle. Addiction? It can be broken. Sin? It's been paid for.You are free.

You've been made free in His blood that you may bring Him glory in all that you do.