FORGOTTEN MEDALS
In the back of my closet, tucked deep behind dresses I don’t fit into right now, are my medals. They are slightly dusty and largely unseen.
Why, then, are the subject of today’s post? …Sometimes, we need reminders that we can do really hard things.
You see, I am tired. I mean really, really tired. I have not slept well in weeks…. maybe months. My brain just can’t shut down. I am constantly thinking about school, the church plant, my family, the church plant, lesson plans, the church plant, my kids’ well being, and how to find more time in the day.
The past 9 months have been exciting and fun. I’ve loved the purpose, pursuing a vision, building a team, seeing God show up again and again. It has been amazing. However, I’m starting to feel worn out. That is why I needed to know where to find my medals.
I first thought of them early in the morning when I was texting my cousins and my sister about possibly running another half marathon together. It occurred to me that I wasn’t certain where the medals had ended up when we moved here in July.
I forgot to look for my medals until I was changing for bed last night. I pushed my clothes aside and reached to the back of the belt rack to see if I had hung them there.
They were there, telling me I am capable of hard things and reminding me I am someone who goes the distance.
I needed to remember I am an endurance athlete. I have played the mental game, and I have won. I have run 20 miles and had these thoughts, “I am exhausted. I want to stop, but there are only 6.2 left. I can do this.” That is where I am today. I am at mile 20, facing the wall that says I might not have the energy needed to get to the goal.
My medals are useless 98% of the time, but, right now, they are the reminders I need to push me forward.
I remember now:
-Training and preparation can carry me when I am struggling
When I am tired, I can lay back on the training and truths I have learned through years of study and seeing God come through without fail. When I feel like I don’t have enough to go on, I remember it isn’t about what I can do. It is about what God can do if I give it to him. Then, without fail, I can keep going.
– Friends and family support me as I push on
I am surrounded by an amazing network that loves Jon and I and that works alongside us at separate moments to encourage us and push the vision forward. We are never alone. Each stride with someone beside us helps us to go just a little further.
–Aid stations provide me just enough to get me to the next station… until I have accomplished the task.
Each day that I feel the most worn down, I get just enough encouragement from the word, prayer, a conversation with a friend, etc. to get me through to the next day and closer to our goal- a church where people connect to God, discover their purpose, serve their world, and grow into fully devoted followers of Christ.
My prayer for you today is that you, too, would find your medals-the representations of what you can do. You can do hard things! You are capable of more than the exhaustion of the moment; you are not alone; and there is enough hope to get you to your next mile.