I remember my first post, which was close to two years ago.
I felt like I had been on an incredible faith journey and had been led to start sharing my experiences with you.
It’s now two years later. Actually, it’s 21 months later – but it has still been an incredible journey.
I know my tag line is “learning to walk with Jesus daily”, but if I were being honest, sometimes I feel like I’m running a marathon – and I just don’t have the energy to make it to the finish line.
But God has done something amazing.
As I look back over the time, I see where He has strategically placed people along the journey. I once read something from someone who ran the NYC marathon for the first time. She talked about how unreal the experience was because of all the people on the sidelines cheering. While I love that concept, as I’ve been running/walking my own faith journey, I feel like I am in a race. It’s not one where I am trying to win alone, but one where we all win.
At different points, I see how God places people in each of the respective seasons I’ve been in. Sometimes people show up, and it’s only for a reason – maybe to encourage me to get to the next mile marker. Or – for a season, to get me through the next few miles. They have run right alongside me, and we talk and talk and talk – but then, our paths change and one either speeds up or slows down – and we are no longer next to each other.
And then there are those who have been lifetimers, and we are consistently running the race together.
By the way, there is nothing wrong with any of these types of people. But we must understand where they fall in our lives or we are going to be in trouble as we try to hold on to people for a lifetime who were only meant to be in our lives for a reason.
Think about it. Are you trying desperately to hold on to someone who was only supposed to teach you a lesson and exit stage left?
If you try to hold on to these people, God will not allow the more seasonal or lifetimers into your life – you have not yet let go of the past.
I’m constantly amazed at the connections God is sending me – not because I’ve done anything by my own doing – but He knows that I would need those people to get me to the next mile marker, and that we need each other. I’m learning to cherish those people – for the time that God has given me. I’m also learning to let go when He says to let go – sometimes it isn’t so easy.
The one thing I want to do is to do as Hebrews 12:1b-2a NIV says “And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith”.
Running a race is never easy. Walking the faith journey can even be more difficult – but God in His infinite wisdom sends us people our way so that we do not have to do it alone.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for sending people in our lives that will help us to walk the faith journey. Lord, sometimes it may feel like a never ending marathon, but help us to persevere to the end so that we will hear you say “well done good and faithful servant”.