Run Through the Wall
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*Every once in a while, as a writer, you write something that touches your heart. I wrote this the other day for my monthly newsletter. When I got to the end, I went back to the top and read it again, and cried. I don’t credit myself at all for having written something that touched my own heart – I truly believe these words did not come from me, they came from the the Holy Spirit. And today I have decided to share them with you. Perhaps someone needs to hear these words. If you feel like giving up or giving in, I pray you will find encouragement here to keep running – and finish strong!*
We stood on the sidelines watching runner after runner pass by, their Nikes and Reeboks beat the hard pavement. But we had come to watch one particular runner, a young boy barely in double-digits. He blazed by us with amazing speed, perfect running stance, arms and shoulders relaxed….and a face contorted in the ugliest expression imaginable. He called it his “monster face”.
My brother had learned an important lesson in running. When running long distances – as in the 10k he was running that day – you will eventually hit a “wall” of pain and exhaustion. This wall will tell you to stop and rest, catch your breath and let your muscles rest for a moment. But that wall lies; because if you stop at the wall, you likely will never finish the race. However, if you push through the wall, you will enter a new realm where you feel as if you could run forever. The “monster face” my brother would make was an expression of his determination to “scare away the pain” and push through the wall to victory. And he did. He never took less than 1st place. Our piano was lined with trophy after 1st-place trophy that he took home after every race.
We hit such a wall last month. It began with Z’s ankle injury. He twisted his ankle and heard something pop. The next day he went to the hospital where they put it in a half-cast and gave him sick leave for 2 weeks. During that time he also had some chest that caused us some concern, and is waiting to have an EKG done. His sick leave was no sooner done, when Andrej fell outside and cut his hand on a piece of glass that we had somehow missed and ended up with 3 stitches in his hand. We felt assaulted with adversity from every side!
I began to look toward the Good Morning Girls summer session with little enthusiasm and began listening to the whispers of “you need a break” and “just take the summer off, when the fall session rolls around, you’ll be rested and ready to start it back again” and I began to contemplate doing this. But alongside of those whispers was an unsettled feeling, knowing that summer time can be dangerous for many Christians; as they take vacation time away from work….and the Lord. For they, too, listen to quiet whispers of “don’t get up early to read and pray – you can always spend time with God before you go to bed” and day after day pass by without their usual quiet time. Before they know it, they have lost touch with God’s presence, fellowship with believers, and they suddenly find themselves in ship wreck.
I knew what I had to do. I had to press through the wall. I had to put my “monster face” on. I had to refuse to look at the circumstances life throws at us. I had to dig deep and find not only the strength needed for this journey, I had to find the joy that would swoop under my wings and cause me to soar like an eagle. Because I have a great responsibility to my girls to provide them a place where they can find resources and accountability in maintaining a growing and active relationship with Jesus Christ.
We are all in a race. We are all runners. We will all face our own “walls” in this race. Some of them are small and paper thin, while others are seemingly made of solid oak and we wonder if we will ever be able to scare away the pain and break through to victory. But there is something that gives me great courage and inspires me to keep going. Jesus is with us in the race. He runs along side of us. He has been through the wall. He has won the victory! And Hebrews tells us that there are multitudes of saints who have been victorious runners. For many of them, that wall cost them their very lives. And yet as they pressed through the pain, rejection, and physical agony of that wall, they crossed the finish line into glory with chest expanded and arms raised as only a victorious runner can do. These great saints are watching on the sidelines. They are cheering us on. They are watching for those “monster faces” and they cry out to us to forsake the wall, turn a deaf ear to the whisperings; dig deep, press in and press on! We will finish and we will finish victoriously!!
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Beautiful post, Rosilind… just beautiful. It’s amazing how God is using you to encourage others despite the struggles you’ve been facing. Keep writing for His glory, sweet sister in Christ!
So lovely, Rosilind, I can see why it touched your heart. Such truth. I need to get me one of those monster faces :). Thank you for this sweet encouragement.
Amen! Yes, we need to put our game face on and run that race to win! Such a good reminder to push through that wall of discomfort or outside our comfort zone and remember that Jesus is running alongside us. As you said, He has already run it to Victory! Thanks for linking up today.
I’m so glad tholat you shared this over at Wholehearted Wednesdays this week. I might not have found it to read if it wasn’t on my blog. I’m going to put my ugly game face on and press on.
Thank you. God is so faithful to give us pockets of joy in the trials. Love you, Sheena!
Thank you, Laura. You are always so encouraging with your comments. God bless you!
Thank you for hosting. I love linking up with you.
I pray the Lord fill you with abundant strength for the race. I know you will finish strong – you are a mighty woman of God!