"Running the Race"

"Running the Race"... if we each had a dollar for every time we heard that said..we could each buy something special! Lately I've been "pondering" what it really means as it tends to rustle my feathers a bit when I hear it. Now that I'm over half way through my "race" I've begun to realize that life is more of a marathon, made up of a combination of many parts rather than a simple start and finish with a lot of running in the middle. When I picture "running the race" I see a hamster running on a wheel with no beginning and no end but running as fast as he can to hopefully get somewhere... and get there in a hurry... which when I look around at some of the humans I encounter I see and sense the same feeling. They're really not sure of where they are going but they are determined to get there the fastest way possible and at any expense.

We all know that it's appointed to all of us to be born and to die... the beginning and the end.. but how we fill the middle..we have choices. Hopefully we choose the right coach and the right trainer. There are times we are asked to run a relay, we run as fast as we can for a short distance and hand the baton off to someone else. There are other time we are running or jogging or even hiking through the deep woods like cross country, it can be lonely and hilly and filled with pot holes and if we don't have our compass set on true north we could easily loose our way. Other times we run long distances on smooth surfaces and see the end in front of us but we still have to watch our footing and stay in our lane.

Other times I believe we are asked to sit awhile and train to get ready for our next course of action. If we were just continually running without this time of resting and reflection we wouldn't learn from the past or gain the skills we need for the next leg of the journey.

I believe we can run a good race.. but I also believe that our race is not the wheel that the hamster finds himself on. I believe that our Father sets us on a course appropriate for our time and place in life and provides us with the needed skills to complete the task as long as we stop and take in the lessons He desires us to learn. What race are you running? Do you have the training needed to complete it?

Does a minute spent reaching out really matter?

Today I was woken up by a special ring on my cell phone...one designated just for my "little buddy" as I like to call her.. my 6 and a half year old grandaughter. Surprisingly as a woman that ring does not bring any of the usual things that some other rings do when I hear them at early or late hours.. I don't think "oh no what has happened... ".. instantly my heart beats a little faster, but with incredible joy! Why? Because I know there's going to be a voice on the other end that loves me unconditionally, as I do her, and is going to want to share something with me... and it doesn't really matter to me how big or small it is.

Since moving these 2000 miles away from her I treasure each and every time I see or hear from her. I plan the times I can call her, write her, or even see her. When she calls or writes me? Over the moon... yes.. I'll admit it.. over the moon.

Makes me think.. have I given that same joy and thrill to others in my life? Have I taken the time to call, write, listen, reach out to make their life a little more joyful? I read scriptures about how God created us for fellowship.. how He longs for us to reach out to Him to share with Him...

If we want to be real about life.. we only have so many minutes, hours.. days.. I want to spend them creating joy and life... how about you?