I ran a 4 mile race with 2 of my students this September. I'm just now realizing that I never blogged about this, so... I guess there's no time like the present! They had asked me to help support them in a PE goal, and being the sucker I am, I said yes. Ok actually, it was really helpful to me as well because it kept me running - I'm super great at being not motivated. What a fantastic symbiotic relationship we had going! Anyway... we trained together for 6 weeks before showing up for the 4 mile race. They were super pumped and both bet me they'd beat me across the finish line, as it had been a huge joke to them about how slow I was (sidenote - I was slow because I was pacing myself because if I'm gonna run a race, I refuse to walk part of it - that's lame!) It turns out that our run covered a great expanse of hills, which added to the struggle to complete the race. And the course wasn't clearly marked ahead of time, so we weren't as familiar with the terrain as I would have liked, though I don't think the kids cared. Anyway, we ran that thing, agreeing to meet up at the finish line and to cheer each other on.
Both bolted in front of me at the beginning, but because I'm a pro at pacing, it wasn't too long until I passed them. We traded off like this throughout the race, and every time I saw one of them, I'd yell really loud to them, encouraging them to keep going. They usually just grimaced at me and kept going. As the race grew to a close, the final stretch was straight up a hill that I'm gonna say has about a 10% grade to it - not a fun end to a race! My legs were burning, but I was determined to make it. I got up the hill, ran through the gates, and... it turns out that the gates led to a track that you had to lap before finishing. Ugh. I kicked myself into gear, ran the track, did my best impersonation of a sprint across the finish line, and was DONE. Deg handed me a water bottle and told me that I was the first to cross the finish line. Part of me was really excited about beating them (the really immature part, mind you), but part of me was excited to see them cross the finish line.
The young man I was running with came up the hill about 5 minutes later. Deg and I cheered and cheered for him as he flailed his way through the finish. We congratulated him, handed him a water, and celebrated his finish with him. He was so proud that he'd made it, and it felt so cool to be able to have been a part of his journey.
About 5 minutes later, the young lady came up the hill. I started cheering for her, but something wasn't right. She looked like she was going to cry. I ran over to her (yep, ran - we were at a race, after all) and she panted, "Jessica, I can't do this. I just can't." I could see the tears welling up in her eyes and the exhaustion she was feeling was almost palpable. So I said to her, "You can see the finish line from here, and I'll run the rest with you. We're about 100 yards out, and you can do it." She looked back at me and said, "Okay, but promise you'll stay with me." I did, and we took off. As we rounded the corner, we could see and hear Deg and the other student cheering her on, as well as her mom and the other student's mom. We had about 50 feet to go when she reached over and grabbed my hand. I looked at her and she gave me this really intense look and said, "Together." She was too exhausted to say it in so many words, but I knew what she meant - this physical connection was the extra boost she felt she needed to make it. So, hand in hand, we ran as fast as we could (keep in mind, this is the last 50 feet of a 4 mile race and she'd just come up a huge hill) and crossed the finish line together. She was so exhausted but so excited about making it across the finish line. I'm telling you, it was a powerful experience where, as a teacher, I felt like I was having such a profound effect on my students' lives. I mean, she trusted me enough that I was what helped her accomplish her goal. That is powerful.
So what about the parable? I mean, that was what I was saying the point was, right? I decided that life is a lot like that race. It's hard, we don't really know what obstacles and challenges will be in our way, and at times, its' easy to feel like we just want to stop fighting for the finish line. However, just like my students, there is someone else who has run the race who is cheering for us the whole time. His run wasn't easy, either, so he understands how rough it can be. As we are running and get to that point where we feel like we want to quit, He is there for us, and all we need to do is ask Him if He will run next to us for a little while. He does, and when we feel like we cannot go another step, all we have to do is reach out for His hand, and He will cross that finish line with us, not so that He can say He's done it, but so that we can say we did it.
I am so grateful for a Savior who has given everything He had to provide a way back to my Heavenly Father, and who is so willing to run this race of life with me. I don't know that I will ever fully comprehend that miracle, but I am so grateful for what I do understand of it. And I am grateful for the opportunities I have to look at the parables in my life so that I can better understand what He has done for me.
I'm sharing this video of my student and me crossing the finish line together. This is probably one of my favorite life moments ever.
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