Our Race and the Election Race

I was once a long-distance runner. I remember the intensity I had for that relentless training to run 13.1 miles. Running a mile in the beginning was so intimidating. And then it was three miles, then six, nine and the full 13.1 miles. By the end of my training, I was mentally and physically prepared. I went on to run several half-marathons around the U.S. and Canada.

What did I prove to myself? That it was worth the time, the pain, and the mental fortitude to prove to myself I could do it. I learned to expect pain and to build the mental toughness to power through it when stopping was all I wanted to do.

The monotonous regularity of running grated on me. But my commitment to show up, run daily and stay consistent meant I wasn’t a quitter.

Now, I’m in another race – it is to finish this life race strong with true grit, consistency and determination. I think that was Donald Trump’s attitude.

This election season has been a race for all the candidates and all of us — the voter base. It has taken mental toughness for us to be confident and undaunted in our belief that our country needed changes. There were plenty of hurdles to jump over and many hills to climb.

When it was marathon day, I remember the googly-nervous feelings in the pit of my stomach. I had those feelings on Tuesday, Election Day. While I knew God was in control because He already knew the outcome of the election, I had no idea that President Trump would win or not!

I’m sure the Apostle Peter had those googly-nervous feelings when he was getting out of the boat to walk to Jesus on the water. Daily, we, too, are faced with “walking on water” opportunities. The more we keep our eyes on our running and walking coach, our Lord Jesus Christ, the more we'll be willing to take leaps of faith!

The Psalmist says in Psalm 119:165, “Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble”. What are a few hurdles when we are God’s beloved children running this race of life?

God assures us that He is with us and when we place our trust and confidence in Him, He will ensure we will cross our finish line with rewards at the end. We win AND we win BIG!