A Scary Goal:

This will be a harder blog post for me to write in some ways.  Typically I love to write about what I have been learning in church or throughout my devotionals.  Either that or I write about a recent experience and what I gained from it.  However, this blog post is all about something I have set out to accomplish without actually achieving it yet.  Writing this blog post holds me one more step of accountable to achieving this goal I have. 

I have signed up for my first marathon in October. (AHHHH).   I have run many races and done a few half marathons before, but I have never run a full marathon.  I enjoy running and have run many miles, but the idea of running 26.2 miles at one time is just very scary.  It is a lot of miles to cover all in one day, all at one time, and all on foot with just me and my running shoes. However, I have always dreamed of doing one, checking it off on my running checklist so we are going to go out and attempt this. 

I have realized I need to have a bit more optimism when it comes to accomplishing this goal.  Lately if anyone has asked me if I am training for anything, I begrudgingly say, “I’m training for a marathon.”   I even made my dentist laugh for my lack of enthusiasm about this endeavor.  (It is mostly because of my nerves.)  However, I need to remember to have more positivity.  I need to look forward to this challenge and this new adventure.  I am blessed with the opportunity to train for something.  I am blessed with the ability to run and to move my body.  

I also realized I really need to depend on God regularly.  Sometimes I get so bogged down with thinking about what I need to do and how I need to train, but I need to remember to love and depend on God.   I can not do this marathon by myself.  One I can’t specifically because of my mental stamina.  It is a lot to think about running 26.2 miles at one time.  This is a lot for the brain to take in if you have never ran that distance before.  However, with the Lord I can remember I can do all things through God, even if it is run 26.2 miles.

It is also even more important I remember to be aware that my Running this marathon should not just be for my own glory.  I need to make sure I am doing this in part for the glory of God.  I should not just do this as an item to check off my goal list.  Yes, in many ways this is what it is, but I also need to remember to not be completely dependent on this goal for myself and myself only.  

One verse I want to highlight is Philippians 3:13-14 which says, “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”   Ultimately running this marathon is not my main goal, but rather eternal life with Jesus. 

The challenge for this week is to spend time thinking about your future goals.  Has there been something you have always wanted to do and haven’t yet achieved it?  This could be a physical goal like me who has a dream to run a certain distance. However,there may be those wanting to lift a certain amount of weight in weight lifting.  This could also be a different kind of goal about education, like choosing to go back to school.  This could be to change job careers.  

This challenge or goal you have a dream to accomplish is something to be consulted with God before you complete this dream.  He knows where we should be going.  He knows what we need to do and where we need to go. This is the biggest challenge we face.  We are not the ones who are completely in charge.  

I will definitely be checking in when I hopefully finish this race.  I want to really learn from this experience.  I want to learn to depend on God.  I want to learn to work hard to accomplish a dream I had originally never thought I could achieve.  I want to push my body and my mind to all its potential. However, I never want to do this just for my physical goals or my personal goals but rather use this new stamina and endurance, all for the glory of God.