My friend Lisa and I stood along the sidewalk in the early morning of the 4th of July in downtown Atlanta. We joined thousands of others wearing shorts and tank tops for the start of the Peachtree Road Race. This was my 18th year getting up before the sun, making my way with my friends like salmon swimming upstream to pack ourselves into Marta, then walking past rows of porta-potties (and visiting a few), all for the joy of participating in a run in ninety-degree heat and humidity.
The crowd quieted as the National Anthem was beautifully sung over the loudspeaker. The wheelchair racers took off. I’m always impressed with the determination and strength of these people who have undergone life-changing injuries, yet still want to challenge themselves by training and competing.
Now it was time for the elite runners, who come from all over the world to compete for the $10,000 purse for the men and women’s first place finishes. These folks, without an ounce of body fat, and very little clothing, can run the 10K in under a half an hour, a feat most of us can only dream about.
As I listened to each elite runner being introduced, I couldn’t help but think about the huge discrepancy in the abilities of these professional athletes and myself. Yet I was struck by the fact that we were all running the same race. They might run it in less than half the time that it would take me, but each of us, young and old, from top seeds to those walking the whole way, were all heading down Peachtree Road, laboring up Heartbreak Hill, turning at 10th Street right before getting to mile 6, and crossing the finish line at Piedmont Park.
I was reminded of my favorite running verse from the Bible:
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.
Hebrews 12: 1-2a, NIV
Each image in this verse has special meaning for me, but this 4th of July I thought about running the race marked out for each of us.
We all arrive at the Peachtree with different bodies, training, genetics, backgrounds, and expectations, yet we are all going for the same goal —to complete the race to the best of our ability.
I often find myself comparing my race in life to others. This person has sold more books than me, has more Facebook followers, or seems to have the perfect family. But the outward appearance doesn’t always tell the whole story. The woman who is struggling to walk the Peachtree may have just finished chemotherapy. The young man clocking in at under an hour may be trying to outrun a drug addiction or unhappy marriage. We never know what is going on in someone’s life. We are all out there doing our best with the hand we have been dealt.
Overall I was happy with my race this year, and beat last year’s time when I was just getting over Covid and could barely walk it. I had to laugh though when I got back the photos that were taken along the course by the professional photographers — I look like I’m about to die, which is how I felt. But I persevered, knowing that if I kept moving I would cross the finish line and my friends and Gatorade were waiting for me.
In the same way, we need to keep our focus on Jesus when we are tired and discouraged in our life journey. He doesn’t care if we are flying toward him like the elites, or stumbling along at the back of the pack, as long as we are moving forward.
I was recently interviewed on a podcast, Dialogues with Creators by Barbara Tucker. We discuss women in ministry and how my book Moving Beyond came to be! Check it out!
Under the Magnolia Tree 