I Finished the Race!

I crossed "run a marathon" off my bucket list by conquering the Chicago Marathon on 10-10-10. I've since learned to have a new respect for anyone who has ever ran a marathon. It was the hardest thing I have ever done.

Starting off the race was easy, the day was beautiful and fall was in the air. At mile 9 the toes on my left foot began to throb. Around mile 13 the shade disappeared and the sun began to beat down with a vengeance. At mile 15 the pain in my left my toes moved to my knee. I prayed and spoke encouraging words to myself. I visualized Jesus carrying my daughter, Amber, across the finish line. So giving up was no longer an option.

At mile 20 I was thinking "this is the furthest I had ever run" in my training runs. It really felt like a good place to stop as runners all around me were giving up. It was then I overheard a pacer speaking words of encouragement to another runner. "If you feel like stopping, don't. Just slow down your pace and keep running." I grabbed a hold of those words.

How I finished I'm not really sure, it just happened by the grace of God. I had been meditating on, "I will run and not become weary, I will walk and not faint or fall down." I thought about raising money for Mercy Ministries and how I did not want to raise money for a race I did not finish.

As I crossed the finish line I was overcome with joy, I did not quit! I fought the good fight, I finished the race!

Carry Me to the Finish Line

Today I am quoting from Mercy graduate Kristin Johnson, who spoke to my running group before their half-marathon. "I would encourage you to think on how Mercy Ministries is a vessel of God's love that's transforming the lives of young women who desperately need hope. You are standing in the gap for them to reach that finish line that seems impossible to them.
There will probably be a moment your run that might be challenging,and in that moment the most powerful strength that God is going to give you is by envisioning Jesus carrying a weak and exhausted Mercy Ministries girl in His arms crossing that finish line with the prize of restoration and transformation for these woman who deserve their freedom, and ultimately defeating the enemy".
I will visualize this when my marathon is challenging, Jesus carrying a Mercy girl across the finish line! Thank you, Kristen, for sharing these words. You are my hero! You inspire me!