Lace Up!

My quiet morning had been interrupted with the "gentle" sounds of both of my daughters screaming at one another. Though I had heard them bickering in their room, I had hoped to remain on the outside of their sibling rivalry. From the sounds of things, however, the situation had escalated. The girls were now in all out war. Furious with one another, they both ran into my bedroom where I was stretching and began to talk over one another.

Unable to catch all the details, I was able to decipher something about a perceived injustice involving a coveted Barbie doll. (Did I mention they were fighting over ONE doll and they have about fifty? But I digress.) Annoyed by their commotion, I quieted the girls and I patiently listened as each of them stated their case. As time passed and the outside temperature rose quickly, I laid down my sentence and grudgingly laced up my running shoes.

When I finally stepped outside, the Texas sun greeted me fiercely. "Ugh," I thought to myself as dread began to fill my head with excuses for sitting this one out. I had hoped to get my run in before the heat settled in. To steal a line from Scooby Doo, "I would have pulled it off too, if it hadn't been for those darn kids". This was not my plan but I had made a commitment. It was now or never.

So, I gulped some water, took a deep breath, and proceeded slowly down my usual route. My "can do" attitude quickly wained as the heat drained my mind and body of all enthusiasm. Still, I pressed on determined to "run in such a way as to get the prize." (1 Corinthians 9:24 NIV)

We all have a race to run. And many of our best laid plans do not unfold as we hoped or planned. In marriage. In relationships. In work and finances. Life turns up the heat. Despite our discomfort, we are called to honor our commitments and press on.

Life doesn't wait. Lace up!