I remember an evening when it was “date night” at our house. My mom was in town and I was excited to see what my husband had in store for our big evening. The kids were finishing their dinner when my husband told me to get dressed to go jogging. This would be the time for me to insert this fact: I do not “go jogging.” I had not gone jogging or running since being in high school and I had no desire to. I was not at all pleased with his “date night” plan, yet I decided I was going to follow his lead even if I did not feel like it.
He led me out the door. We did a few stretches and then we started jogging. I had not gone but 30 feet and I was already winded. I asked for him to slow our pace. He looked at me in disbelief. He slowed our pace but refused to let me walk. We continued and after a few hundred yards my sides began to hurt. My mouth was dry. It felt like time was in slow motion with every painful step. The more I hurt, the madder I got. I
wanted to quit, yet he would not stop jogging and refused to let me quit. He encouraged me to look around and enjoy the scenery. I looked but all I could concentrate on was my weakness and pain.
We reached a small hill and against all my insisting for us to stop, my husband insisted for us to keep
going. By the time I reached the top I was done. I had to stop. I could take no more. I stopped and he stopped with me. I was hurting and exhausted and he was not even breathing heavy. We walked the rest of the way home and as we did I had much time to reflect on the run.
I am consistently reminded of God’s character through the actions of my husband. God calls me to run the race of faith and all that it entails is often not what I would plan. It is a run that reveals my weaknesses. I am not excused because of pain or weariness, feelings or emotions. He knows my limits and He will push me to reach them. He encourages me to take my attention off myself and see the beauty around me. He keeps leading me and I will make it to the top of His holy hill as long as I am willing to follow His lead. He will lead and I will follow and that is what matters most.
Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. - Philippians 3:12
