Running In A Race

Have you ever run a race?

Running can be easy for some.

Running can be hard for others.

I know I have been learning how to run more in my exercise, but I still haven't gotten to a place where I love to run the entire time.

I am a walker, for certain.

Whatever way you prefer, we are all in a race.

We are in the race of life.

How we look at that race determines our outcome.

There are times when the race is long and seems to go on forever.  You look at the clock and do not know why time is passing so slowly.

There are other times the race is quite short.  You have sped through it and could not believe how well you did.

There are sometimes combinations of both types of races.

Right now I am looking at the race of my next school year.

As always, there are changes taking place and lots of new things that are coming my way.  It can feel a bit like the long race that goes on forever, the training is intense, nothing is easy.... and you just don't know how you are going to do it all.  

I will be humanly honest with you:  I have fought this race all week.

I have not fought the fact of new students, new books, or a new and shiny classroom.  

I have been fighting the looming expectations of how I am going to get everything done.  How am I going to be all I need to be for my students, my parents, my fellow teachers, my own children, my husband..... and most importantly, how am I going to keep the Lord as my focus in the midst of it all?

That is where the Lord gives us what we need when we need it... even before we know it.

It all started with the theme verse for our school year.  When we were told we were going to be using Isaiah 40:31, we were wondering how we would use it fully with the entire school.  While I love, love, love this verse, I was also wondering how to put that on everyone's level successfully.  How can I make something "concrete" become an abstract learning experience for my students?

(All summer I asked the Lord to give me an opportunity to capture this verse in photograph... and He did.  This is what will be displayed in my room at school, thanks to the Lord's directing:)

 

I have also been doing this Bible Study recently:  

When the Lord directed me to this for my second Bible study for the summer, I didn't quite understand.  I wasn't facing any "dark" moments right now in my life.  However, as I have shared before, I am learning to trust the Lord in His guidance.  Little did I realize that once again I would be needing this.  Check out the title.  I am a WALKER in this race called life.... and He is continuing to teach me to Walk by Faith.

Here are some quotes from Jennifer Rothschild:

• "If you feel that the weight of your circumstances is too heavy to bear, maybe it's because the burden is yours, not His."

• "Many of us go through life resisting our circumstances because we operate under the mistaken notion that we are in charge."

• "God's use of discipline (or a hard race!).... [is] not to punish us, but to change us.  He allows suffering to be like the hurdles we must jump to strengthen us." (italics emphasis mine)

• "A runner will discipline himself and endure arduous training in order to be fit for the race.  It's not easy.... but it is effective."

This Bible study that the Lord gave me for the second part of summer has given me more verses of encouragement.  What I have learned has already helped me with the new uncertainties and I know He will carry me in this race.  

How am I going to run/walk the race of this year?

How am I going to handle all of the new expectations and needs?

I am going to WAIT on the Lord so that I may run without being weary and walk without fainting.

There may be days I sprint to the finish. 

There may be days I have an "injury" and it will take all I can do to finish the day.

However, God will be there every step of the way.  

This video is a perfect picture of what the Lord does for us in our race of life.  We saw it in devotions this past week at school.  It brought tears to my eyes then and it brought tears to my eyes today.

May you be blessed by it now: