I am a RUNNER!

Today barriers were broken...  Today I spent a good part of the afternoon with a very special person.  She has no idea what happened today or what she even did to have such an impact on my life.  This person I don't even know that well, but I have a huge desire to know her more... to tell her that today, she showed the compassion, the attitude and the friendship of Christ.  How did she help... what did she do?

My whole childhood I was told by people who loved me I would never be an athlete.  I needed to play low impact sports, sports that didn't require speed, sports that didn't pertain to running.  I know why they told me this.... they did this to protect me.  They did it out of love...they didn't want me to be disappointed with the "results."

I spent most of my elementary school gym class hearing the sounds of laughter as I ran during those so common relay races, being picked last for the kickball team and even then with complaints, and I how can I forget all of the duck sounds... My feet turned out when I ran...so of course a duck sound would only be appropriate for middle school behavior.  Then "My Girl" became the most watched movie of my school class.  Guess who ran like Veda Sultenfuss?  I know that life as an elementary or middle school student is tough, but the words, the laughter and the insults played a huge part in my athletic ability as a highschooler and even as an adult.

I have spent most of my life avoiding the action of running... choosing the treadmill that backed up to a wall as opposed to a mirror or window, waiting until the track was empty, being afraid to run after my child and of course the dread that lay over me when thinking about being a mother of a hopefully a one day athletic child.  My biggest fear... one that she would run like me or two, she would laugh at her mother for the way that she was.  Both of these brought nauseousness to my stomach.  When I should have been praying for my daughters soul mate or her future career, I would often pray for her athletic ability. I know that every child will have things that they succeed at and things that they need to work on...that is how we become who we are.  And don't get me wrong, I have sooooo much to be thankful for.  But I am writing this to let you know that your past doesn't determine your future.  You can let those years of dread, embarrassment and even those words that "stung" go and move on and do the things you so desperately desire to do...

Which leads me to today...  My God sent friend, knowing that my New Years Resolution was to start running, called me in efforts to help.  Knowing that she too was a new runner that had just worked her way up to a half marathon... she wanted to share her tips, her advice and encouragement.  She had no idea that she was going to break barriers in my life and free me of something that had so much weight on me that it was stopping me from doing something I wanted to do.

Today, I ran with someone else besides my husband.  Today, I didn't worry about what I looked like, how fast or not fast I was going or what she thought of me.  She didn't care... her goal was not to judge me, but to bring encouragement to me.  I am no longer afraid to run... to hopefully teach my beautiful daughters that sometimes life throws hard balls at us, but we should never let it discourage us from doing the desires of our heart.  Isn't that how Christ is?  He is not with us to judge us, but to encourage us, to lift us up and to carry us.  Isn't this how we should be as believers... to run for the goal. not allowing our past, or falls, our troubles to define our future as God Believing disciples being called to do His will?

I am thankful for today.  Thank you to my God sent friend.  Thank you that we are redeemed from our past through Christ.  Thank you that even though I may not feel like a runner or even look like one, that I am no longer afraid to call myself a runner, Because I am.