So this used to be me. I pinned it on pinterest because I thought it was so funny. (True but funny.) I could walk at a pretty quick clip, but I never, ever, EVER ran.
I tried. I started that Couch to 5K program seven or eight times. You know, where you run a little and walk a little. Then run a little longer and walk a little less. And they guarantee that you’ll be running a full 5K at the end of 9 weeks.
Well, I never made it past week 2. Week 2. I always quit. (I know…my perseverance is astounding!) It was hard. My knees hurt. I couldn’t breathe. I actually felt like I was going to die. So I’d quit and go right back to walking.
“Running just isn’t for me.” That’s what I’d say. “I wasn’t made for it. I hate it. And if you ever see me running, you’d better run too because something’s chasing me.”
Until my daughter decided in May she wanted to run cross country in the fall. Well, I knew she wasn’t in shape. So I told her I’d do the Couch to 5K with her to help get her ready so she wouldn’t be dying when practice time came along.
What was I thinking? Oh the sacrifices we make for our kids.
So we started. And you guessed it. We got to week 2 and had to take a hiatus. In my defense, I got bronchitis this time and had to take a break.
But then the weather was horrible and we couldn’t actually get back out there again until our vacation in June. So we started back up at week 2. And then week 3. And then it worked out better for me to run in the early morning, so I was out there by myself for weeks 4, 5 and 6.
It wasn’t getting any easier. I still couldn’t breathe well. I actually asked a friend of mine for breathing tips and she told me to just do what came naturally for me. Well…..that made me laugh. Ummm….sitting on the couch is what comes naturally to me. LOL! 🙂
I still had my doubts at week 6 that I would be able to run a full 5K at the end of 9 weeks, but I was determined not to quit this time.
And then I finished weeks 7 and 8 and 9. I was as surprised as anyone that I finished. And…YES I can run a full 5K. I’m not super fast yet. Slow and steady finishes the race….and I just wanted to finish.
Then I thought…how many times did I quit my faith at week 2 and not see the end results? Not see the victory?
We get so frustrated when we don’t see the answer in the first hour. Or the first day. Or the first month. And sometimes it’s years later and we’re still waiting for that answer or dream or breakthrough. And we just let it go. We get frustrated and quit.
The only thing we’re guaranteed if we quit is nothing.
Did I have it in me to finish the entire Couch to 5K program the first seven times I started it? Absolutely! I probably could have done it even faster and better and feeling less like I was dying because I was younger.
I could have done it, but I chose to quit.
So choose not to. Don’t quit. No matter how tired you feel. No matter how out of breath you feel. No matter how much your muscles hurt and you’re mind is telling you, “You can’t do it. Just stop now. You’ll never make it.”
Don’t quit. Even if it’s taking longer than you thought it would. Even if you can’t figure out in your mind how God’s going to do it. Even if you’ve been standing and there’s no sign of breakthrough in sight. Hold on to trust. Keep believing. Don’t quit.
There was no sign of healing for Naaman when Elisha told him to dip in the River Jordan 7 times. There was no change after dip 1. No change after dip 2. There was no change at all after dips 3, 4, 5, and 6. None. He still had leprosy. He was still as sick as he was when he dipped the first time.
He couldn’t see any difference. At all!
What would have happened if after dip 6 he gave up and just went home saying, “This will never work. Surely there would have been some change after dipping the first 6 times.”
But he didn’t quit. He just kept dipping. And after the 7th time, he was completely and totally healed.
Keep going. Keep believing. Keep dipping. Trust God. Just because you can’t see it yet doesn’t mean breakthrough isn’t close. It is. He is faithful. He will do what He promised.