Dear Sissy,

Earlier tonight I wrote about some of the things I learned during my first 5K race.  What I didn't know was that just a couple hours later God would give me an even bigger purpose for my running goals. 

I heard you saw my pictures and asked where my tutu was. I also heard you saw a run in our hometown and asked where I was. What you didn't know was that you asking those questions taught me another lesson in being a role model. You asking those two precious questions has made me decide a couple of things.

Decision #1: I'm going to keep running.

"Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:30-31

Sweet girl, I'm going to keep running for you, for your little brother, for our niece Lilly. I'm going to keep running so that one day you, too, will understand what I am learning. So that you, too, will gain deeper understanding of how important your spiritual race is.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." -Hebrews 12:1-2

Sissy, I will keep running so that one day you might understand that there's a finish line even greater that any I will ever cross on earth. One that's greater than we can imagine! I will push myself through every race so that you can see the reward of hard work and perseverance. I will push myself so that one day you will understand that the eternal reward we will get for persevering through life is more than worth it. 

I will keep running so that you can have a visual reminder of Philippians 4:13. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Because, my dear baby sister, you CAN do all things through Christ because He DOES give you strength. He gives you a strength greater than anything in this world can fathom. And He is bigger and He is stronger than anything this world can throw at you.

Decision #2: I will be wearing a tutu in every race. I don't care how out of place it will look in some runs, I will wear it. I will wear it as a reminder of why I run. I will wear a tutu so you will know why I run. So that you will know I run for you and that one day you will see that you can overcome, too.

I love you sweet girl! Never forget that!

-Ashley

Growth in 3.1 Miles

Last Saturday (Oct 19, 2013), I ran the Color Run.  My first 5K as an adult.  I walked/rode in my mom's lap through several various 5Ks as a child... but this was my first to run.  I set a personal record of 33:58. It's not the most impressive for most people but for anyone that knows me knows that was a big feat.  But enough about that... This post is about more.



The Color Run is a unique experience. A few facts:

1. Volunteers throw colored cornstarch at you at various points throughout the course.
2. If I had a dime for every time I heard "this is a judgement free zone" I'd have a lot of dimes.
3. Not everyone runs the whole thing, but everyone finishes.
4. It isn't timed. Every finish is celebrated!
5. The diversity of the participants is insane.






But God taught me several lessons through this particular 5K.

1. This is a judgement free zone.  The church should be the same.  Now, don't get me wrong.  I believe that if we see our brothers and sisters in Christ doing something they shouldn't we should call them out in love and show them what the Bible has to say, and help them overcome it.  But we shouldn't judge.  We should celebrate victories over the temptations and not judge each other because of past failures that we've repented of and are working to never fall back in to.

2. Every finish is celebrated.  Some will run this spiritual race faster, some will be slower, but all who finish will be celebrated. We shouldn't look at those who have taken longer to start, those who have been slower getting through, those who have struggled to stay motivated, those who have needed more help than others, those who have had more failures than others differently because of those things. We should encourage them and cheer them on and be willing to help them on.

3. I had 3 friends on the course with me.  After the starting line we weren't at any point altogether again on the course until after the finish line, but they were there. I'd see them on switchbacks and we'd wave at each other and put our hands up in a cheering fashion for each other.  What did this teach me? Races are easier when you have support. Even if you aren't at the same point in your race you have them there.

 4. Our race isn't going to be easy.  There were times I wanted to just stop. My muscles felt like jello after each uphill battle. But I kept going. We are going to have trying times. We are going to feel like jello, emotionally and spiritually at times. But as in number 3... what an incredible knowledge that we aren't the first to complete it, that others have done it before us, that we have friends there running it too! And what a joy to know that pressing on through gets us a finish even better than crossing a physical finish line... that our spiritual finish line is even more than we can fathom!

 All that being said, I'm glad my spiritual race towards heaven isn't one I'm doing alone. I'm glad I've got a Saviour that is redeeming, a God who is forgiving, and a spiritual family running beside me.

Hebrews 12:1-2
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Philippians 3:12-16
Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,  I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained.