In 1999, I completed a marathon (26.2 miles) in Alaska to raise money for the Leukemia Society of America through their Team in Training program. Thanks to the generosity of my community, including many from my Calvary family, I raised double my fundraising goal of $3,000. But I was a couch potato and as the time to leave for the trip approached, panic began to set in.
My mother found a stamp with the words from Isaiah 40:31 and presented it to me along with a pin she had made of an eagle’s wing. But still, I landed in Anchorage convinced I would never be able to complete the marathon, half of which was through the woods on a path of hard packed dirt with many a stick and stone in the path and the final quarter mile up a steep hill.
And then, I came around a bend to see ahead of me a sign on the side of the road with the words “Those who hope in the Lord…”; further along another “…will renew their strength.” Every half mile another section of the verse appeared and I heard the message loud and clear – I would finish the marathon because I was not alone; all I had to do was put my trust where it belonged to find the strength I needed.
I was rewarded for that realization by the most amazing journey – scenery so beautiful I still dream of it; meeting a fellow marathoner who gave me the angel pin he was wearing; the cheering of strangers as I crested the hill; the unbelievable well of emotion as I crossed the finish line; and the sure knowledge that I can accomplish anything if only I remember to always trust God is with me on my path.
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