Saturday my husband I ran the Shiner Half Marathon. The weather conditions were less than ideal; it was cold, rainy and windy. Even AccuWeather could not help us decide how to dress for the race. By gun time the rain had ceased and temperatures had warmed, but oh that wind! The gusts were blowing at about 30 mph, head on. No matter how hard one trains I don’t think anyone is ever prepared to race against a strong headwind. For the first six miles there was absolutely no reprieve, every step was a battle. As I struggled against the wind I thought about enduring and what it really means.
Many of us consider endure a dirty word, but it’s not. It means to undergo (as a hardship) especially without giving in, did you see that part; without giving in. It also means to remain firm under suffering or misfortune without yielding. As a runner, I truly understand what it means to endure, you cannot win a race without endurance. If you choose not to endure, you quit; you fail. Runners who don’t finish earn the label DNF (did not finish). In the world of running, it’s better to come in dead last than earn a DNF. I have a tattoo on my foot that says, “Endure 13.1” It has a dual purpose. I know the tattoo is there, and it reminds me to press on both in life and on the racecourse.
My favorite race is the half marathon, 13.1 miles. There are times during the race I’m tired; I’m struggling to pick up my feet; I’ve got a side stitch; but still I press on. There are times I have fought through tears to keep going. We all love the stories of persevering and enduring, so why do we seem to run and hide from adversity rather than facing it head on? We can never overcome or be victorious if we don’t fight. The song Nashville, ”Don’t Put Dirt on My Grave”, has a line that says, “Come hell, come high water, you push on me I’m going to push back harder.” That’s a great way to approach life. Sure, there are times you may want to bury your head under the covers and hope it will all go away, but hiding from adversity doesn’t help anything, it only prolongs the agony.
Enduring isn’t just for runners, it applies to every obstacle we face in our lives. I did not complete my education until I was in my 40’s, and there was some serious enduring during my time as a student. Give me a paper to write any day of the week, but math?? Not so much. Every degree at Texas State University requires at least one math class, but math isn’t like other courses where you just register, placement is based on ACT or SAT scores and if you don’t have those, you have to take a test. I scored so poorly on my placement test that I had to take TWO remedial math courses before I could take the ONE I needed to graduate. Those courses were a struggle, but like any other hardship in my life, I fought, I studied, and I cried, but I pulled through and passed.
How we endure hardship is a testament of our faith. Trust me when I say people are watching. How we endure can turn the world to or away from Christ. Does adversity bring out the Christ in you? Do you endure until the end? Or have you been a quitter? I want to encourage you to fight when things are hard, to endure to the end. If you’re like me, you’ll get through it, stand there and weep tears of joy because you endured, and you are in a better place because of it.
Until Next Time,
Becky J Miller
Warrior Princess