Bucket List Run.

I had the privilege of watching my husband cross something off his bucket list. He ran a half marathon, and if you’ll excuse me a second, I’m going to brag. He finished in 1 hour and 52 minutes, and came in 13^th in his age division of 25-29 year old males!! It’s not enough that he completed a goal of monumental self-discipline… (he ran over 170 miles over the past 3 months training for this!) But he did it in a hugely successful fashion!

 

                     

My mom asked me a month or so ago if I was training with him to run it as well.
I laughed. Out loud. “Mom, Aaron started training in January and could already run 4-5 miles when he started.  I could run 45 seconds. So… No. Not running with him.”

Consequently, on Saturday, Aaron ran and I cheered. With a poster. Yep- I’m that awesome of a wife. Never mind that it was the 2^nd ugliest poster at the race. The point being that I made a poster!

Our day…

The race started!!!!!!!!!!!

And the crowd moved. Very slowly. 

If I didn’t know better, I would think I was watching a walk. Or a group of people out for a scenic tour.  Herding cows also came to mind.

But I cheered and smiled. And thought “I’m so glad that’s not me.”

The half-way point…

As I waited for Aaron, the marathoners started running by. As they went through the water station, I noticed that as they would drink their water or eat their snacks, they would immediately then throw the cup or the packaging on the ground. At first it assaulted my “Never litter!” conscience, but then I realized, it made sense. Someone else got to pick up the trash. Not the runners. There weren’t enough trash cans, nor was their goal to be neat and clean. It was to make it to the finish line.

I didn’t have time to think much more about that before I saw Aaron coming around the corner and up the hill. He looked up, saw my wave and started to smile. He waved as he ran by and grinned at my poster. Pretty sure he shook his head a little too. It was an ugly poster. Oh well… I can’t be awesome at everything….

Finish Line!!!!

I waited with anticipation! I was nervous and exhausted for them all! I couldn’t imagine being the one actually running this whole time. Ugh.

Once again, runners started coming.  As they approached the end, some looked dead. Yet, somehow they kept moving their feet. Some looked like they had only been running for 2 minutes and not 2 hours. Yet, no matter how they appeared, each one noticed the crowd gathering to cheer them on. Not everyone smiled at us. Not everyone runner even glanced our way- their eyes were so intent on the finish line, but every runner knew that we were there. And that we were proud of them. Regardless of never having met each other. Regardless of never seeing each other again. I was proud of these men and women for pushing for their goal and accomplishing it. So I cheered for them all - along with the other friends and family of the various crazies runners.

When Aaron started to come up the last hill, I could see the exhaustion on his face. And the determination. I saw him look through the crowd for me, and the smallest smile when he found me. I could see him push himself for the last bit of energy he had and cheered as he sprinted across the finish line.

Done.

Oh Hallelujah! He finished. And we celebrated!!! Well, technically, he gasped for breath, looked for water, and stretched his legs. I celebrated.

Homeward Bound:

On the drive home, I began thinking about the race, and Hebrews 12:1-2 came to mind:

 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

First:

As I thought back to the water station where I saw the runners throwing their wrappers and cups to the ground, I thought about the phrase to “lay aside every weight and the sin which clings so closely.” Could you imagine the absurdity of seeing a runner come across the finish line carrying 13 little plastic cups, 3 wrappers of energy beans, and a cliff bar wrapper all curled up in his palms? Ha! Of course not- that’s crazy! In order for them to accomplish their goal as successfully as possible, they had to let it go and throw it down.  They were “Laying aside every weight. Laying aside every sin.” In order for us to finish the race of life, we have to throw away the garbage, the weights, and the parts of our lives that entangle us in sin.

We don’t realize how vital it is because most of us aren’t marathon runners, but seeing a literal example of this verse made me evaluate my life and the baggage I carry.  It only burdens me, slows me, and handicaps me. I realized it’s time I start living like I’m racing.

Then:

I thought about the crowd, the people that I was with for those two hours, and the beginning of those verses came to mind. “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,” written two thousand years earlier, was eerily similar to my experience on April 5^th, 2014. I was part of a “cloud of witnesses” for this race. I was cheering on the runners, regardless of whether I knew them. And I loved it.

But I was there especially for Aaron. I was his witness in particular, and it was my presence that gained that smile from him. My presence reminded him that he wasn’t alone. My presence affirmed that he could finish. My presence celebrated when he did.

In this race called life- am I cheering runners on or slowing them down?

And beyond that- what runner, specifically, am I a “witness” for? What person looks through the crowds of people in his/her life for me when they are going through a difficult time?  Who does my presence give a smile to? Who do I show up for?  

There needs to be someone that I make a difference for. That I witness for.

Last:

“Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus…”

Aaron didn’t pick his route. He didn’t pick his path. He ran what was set before him. He endured. He ran through the unknowns. He ran looking for his finish line.

That’s what we are called to do in life. To run through the unknowns of life. To run the path that is set before us. To endure.

All the while, looking for our finish line- Jesus Christ, the beginning and the end.

 

It makes so much more sense now. And I wasn’t even the one running.