Doing the Impossible

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." 

- Philippians 4:13

   A few months ago, I announced that I was going to train for and run a half marathon. For the blog post, click here. Two teens who I greatly admire, Alex and Brett Harris, wrote a book called Do Hard Things. For more information about their cause, please click on "The Rebelution" under the links tab. 

   They wrote this book a couple years ago with the realization that the teenage years were (and still are) widely viewed as a season of life to goof off and mess around.  Parents are always warned about the dreaded "teenage years". In their motivational book, these brothers presented a new philosophy - teens should rebel against these low expectations and do hard things for Christ. I read their outstanding work a few years ago, and I highly recommend it. On a side note, these two are currently seniors at Patrick Henry College ;) 

   Anyway, two friends of ours ran a half marathon last year, and I really admired their determination. Naturally, I desired to be like them - full of endurance and strength!! In May, I decided that I would take up running and train for a half marathon myself. Looking back, I still remember my first day of training. It was a hot summer day, and I decided to go run 1.5 miles. After that long and painful 15 minute work out, I felt absolutely drained and exhausted. I was doing a really hard thing. At that moment, 13.1 miles seemed truly impossible. However, I had already committed to the race, and I was not going quit no matter what. After the first week of training, my Mom decided to join me :)

   Over the next few months, we followed a training schedule that we found online. Nearly each week of the training was identical to this: rest on Sunday, run on Monday, run on Tuesday, run on Wednesday, rest on Thursday, cross-train on Friday, run on Saturday. Day after day, week after week, and month after month, we were very faithful to stick to the schedule. Gradually, both our endurance, strength, and speed began to build. 

  Then, last Sunday November 20 came. The morning of the race, I remember being hit with the shocking reality that it had actually come. Lining up to the start line still felt like a strange dream, but once I heard the word "go!", my anxious mind became engaged with my restless body.

    After two hours, seventeen minutes, and twenty-two seconds, I crossed the finish line having run the entire way without stopping. Realizing what had just been accomplished, I thanked the Lord for being faithful to push me across the finish line. Readers, with the help of God I had just run 13.1 miles. 

   I do not write this to parade myself or bring glory to what I did. I could never have completed such a distance without the help of Christ. This blog post is intended to show the grace of God when you decide to not only attempt, but do the impossible in His name. It causes me to remember the passage from Hebrews, "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." 

   Today, I want to encourage you to attempt things that you think you could never do...and do it in the name of Jesus!! Before accomplishing this feat, I never thought of myself as a distance runner - just one mile completely drained me. However, when you trust in the Lord, He will help you do things that you never thought were attainable. Take a step of faith and watch the hand of God do the impossible :)