Stop Trying
Last year was my year!
After 20 years of recreational running with a few occasional races here and there, I finally decided to train for my first marathon. It had been a long-standing goal of mine that I kept postponing, but last spring, I decided it was time to make it happen. Once the decision was made, I found my training plan, learned from runners who had run marathons, and created a plan to ensure I would not just run the race, but finish in a respectable time.
Once race day arrived, I was ready. I had worked hard to get to this point, and in a little over four hours, I would have accomplished the goal. Or, so I thought.
The first half of the race was perfect. My splits were good, I still felt strong, I was well hydrated, and I knew that with a little luck and some wind at my back, I would beat my goal time. All was well until mile 14; that's when my knee locked up and I had shooting pain that made running virtually impossible. Undeterred, I ultimately did hobble across the finish line, but it took me over 5 hours to get there due to my body not cooperating.
No Quit
What surprised me most about the race was not the injury or my poor time. It was the number of people along the way asking me, "Why don't you just quit?" Looking back, I get the question because of my injury, but in the moment, I was surprised to hear it from other runners who had worked equally as hard as I had.
But, to be honest, the idea of quitting never crossed my mind.
With all the training I had done and the anticipation and excitement leading up to the race, I felt I owed it to myself (and Susanne, who was an amazing support during the entire process) to finish, even if I finished after everyone went home. I did not want to look back and think, "I wish I had not given up, I should have finished".
No Should's Allowed
Unfortunately, there have been many other times in my life when the determination I showed during my marathon was lacking. Looking back, I see times when instead of steadfast commitment, I wavered. I substituted "I will" with "I'll try." I replaced "I am going to" with "I should." And in each of these times, I inevitably failed.
Determination, grit, and commitment are things I see all through scripture, and they have been especially noticeable to me as I read through the Psalms. Perhaps this is no more true than in Psalm 119, where numerous times, the author declares his intentions with unwavering devotion by writing the following:
"I will study your commandments
"I will delight in your decrees"
"I will meditate on your wonderful deeds"
"I have chosen to be faithful, I have determined to live by your regulations"
"I will pursue your commands"
"I will obey your instructions"
Our Best Defense
If we desire to live a life in accordance with God's word (the only way to truly have a life worth living), then we need to remove the words try and should from our vocabulary.
What would it have looked like if David said, "I should go fight Goliath, and I am going to try and defeat him!" Or if Joseph said, "I am going to try not to sleep with Potipher's wife," or if Jesus said, "I should try and go to the cross to redeem mankind."
Our best defense from going off course is a heart and mind that declares with no uncertainty, "I will!".
Whatever you are struggling with today, determine in your heart and mind what you WILL do, because it is in our commitment that God will work wonders.
On The Journey With You,
Carlos
This edition was first published in The Life Design Newsletter on LinkedIn.