I am not an athlete. Just getting that out there. In fact, I'm the person who will drive around a parking lot 6 times waiting for a “good spot” rather than having to walk further from my car to the store. In high school my "sport" was cheerleading. You know those cheering competitions you see on TV from time to time with the high energy and the jumping and the throwing and the cartwheels...we weren't like that at all. We were the extreme opposite of that.
Growing up my parents had a rule that all of the kids had to play two sports - or at least try out for two sports. The bad thing (for me) was that in my very small, Christian school everyone who tried out made the team. So in 7th grade I played basketball. In 8th grade my parents changed their rule. :) They told me I didn't have to play basketball anymore (I must've been really bad). I AM NOT AN ATHLETE.
So at the beginning of this year when I decided to exercise more, that was a big step. I didn't know at the time just how big of a step. I started out this year with a desire to live a better story. I didn't know what that meant for me other than I knew I needed to be involved in something that mattered...something truly important, with an eternity impact. I knew it would involve risks and sacrifice but I wanted to love people, to help people, and to create a better story for Mikayla to grow up in.
I've often felt that God has a sense of humor in the way He deals with His children. It seems that He likes putting us in situations that are WAY outside of our box. Maybe we learn more when we aren't comfortable or in control. Maybe when our helping people causes us to sacrifice we receive greater blessing. Maybe He wants to bring us to a place that causes complete and total reliance on Him so that He receives the honor and glory for what is done. Maybe when He puts us into a situation that we would never have chosen for ourselves, it's just a gentle reminder that He's in charge of this thing called life.
I am running a marathon. Let that sink in for a moment...the girl who ran more during 7th grade basketball than I have for the rest of my life combined, is going to run a marathon. I’m not running just for the sake of running and I’m definitely not running to get in shape. (I'd love to be "in shape" but that is not nearly enough motivation for me to run.) We are running to raise money to support the work of Blood:Water Mission. (Read more about the work of Blood:Water Mission under the Our Story section.)
The emotions I feel at the thought of actually running a marathon range from excitement to sheer panic. There are definitely risks involved - what if I can't finish, what if I get hurt, what if I pass out or die from exhaustion or dehydration? There will definitely be sacrifice. If you've ever looked into training for a marathon you know that it is much like getting a part-time job...well, if a part-time job forced you to run yourself silly. It takes a lot of time to train for a marathon. Hours and hours and hours every week for many, many weeks. I'm somewhat looking forward to the intense training schedule because I'll be forced to remove time-wasters from my life. TV will be the first to go - or at least be greatly reduced. I imagine it will feel like cleaning out a closet - getting rid of the worthless stuff to make room for the valuable stuff.
More than anything else, I'm anxious to see what God will do. Yes, there is fear for myself, but really, it's not about me. Like I said before, I would not have chosen to run for any reason other than someone chasing me with a weapon (and even then, it would be a matter of weighing the pros and cons before actually running). I wanted a story and this is the one God placed before me. May He be glorified by this story I am living.
By the way, I’m only about a week into this whole running thing and I’m convinced my legs will never be the same again. I can’t really move my body from the waist down. I may be exaggerating a bit, but not much.
- By Chrystal Murphy
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