Off to the Races

I saw a dear friend’s post yesterday saying that it was becoming harder and harder to rise above her daily challenges as she aged. It was taking longer and longer to complete some of the simple things that she never before thought twice about doing. But I have begun to see things differently and my thoughts lead down another path.

Each day when I wake, I have met the minimal daily requirement. My heart is still beating and my lungs are taking in oxygen that I need to survive and allow my eyes to see another day. Everything after that is just icing on the cake.

I roll out of bed and survey the tasks in my schedule, making my plan of attack. That says my brain is still working and I can think. When chores become too difficult to do the way I once used to do, I change my method of dealing with it. I do what I can or work around the problem until I can find something else to fill the bill or I do without.

I can still run the race, albeit much slower than I once could, but I still manage to cross the finish line. My emotions stir as I see the goal getting closer and closer. The anticipation builds. The joy and excitement escapes when the job is done and behind me.

God never promised that the race He has planned for me would be easy. He has never asked me to be the first person to cross the finish line. He just asks that I start the race, continue pushing forward, and to run to the best of my ability. The rewards and crowns that God gives to us are for all those who finish the marathon and not just for those in first place.

In Philippians 3:14, the Apostle Paul writes, “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” He was looking ahead, saying he hadn’t reached the goal line, but he was still keeping on course.