I Run: Lesson Four

So one would think that when you finish a 5K (3.1 miles), you would be halfway in your training to a 10K (6.2 miles) correct? Wrong!

Lesson Four: Pride goeth before a fall. Or in my case, a fall short. (Proverbs 16:18)

It's funny how pride sneaks up on you. How one day your praising God for being able to run for 5 minutes straight then as some time passes you suddenly find yourself thinking, "Hey, I ran that 5K in a pretty decent time. It's ok if I take a little break (like four days!), and cheat just a little on my diet during that time. I mean come on, I ran 5.4 miles last time I ran. I met and exceeded my 5K expectations for time. It won't be that big of a deal." Wrong, wrong, wrong! Did any of you catch the evil that is pride in any of that train of thought? I, I, I...me, me, me. There was no consulting what God would want me to do. I just assumed He'd help me out like he had in the past. I pridefully assumed. You know what they say about assuming....

Like I'm something special enough to just assume God was going to get me back up and running those 5.4 miles even when I blatantly didn't discuss this four day binge of a break with Him. When I was lazy and sat around watching television shows I had no business watching and eating an entire half-bag of chocolate chips that I had no business eating. Yeah, I deserve to be able to run that 5.4 miles, right? So, so, so very wrong. First time out, I floundered through 4.2 miles, having to walk run the last mile. Second time out, I only ran 3.8 and still had to walk some of that. Seriously?!?!?!

So where does that leave me? What does one do when they find themselves humbled by barely being able to complete a 4.2 mile run when they were clearly able to do more before? You start over. You humble your precious little self before the Lord and beg forgiveness. You swallow the consequences of eating your big slice of humble pie, and you go back to the original plan. You go back to your training, and you start over....from the beginning. With a different goal in mind, mind you. I'm no longer training for a 5K. My 10K is May 31st. I have two months to whip this sorry little rear into gear and start depending on God again to get me across the finish line because at this point in time, I'm seriously doubting my abilities.

That's one of the biggest downsides to getting caught up in pride, I think. It's not having to start over. It's not even having to admit your were wrong and ask God to get you back up and going again. It's dealing with the discouragement of knowing, "I've been here before. I use to be able to do this. What is my problem?" That's the most difficult part--having to fight the mind battles, the spiritual attacks, the plague of self-doubt because being prideful leaves you unguarded and unprotected from the enemy. You get ahead of yourself and God in your race to the finish, and when you fall, satan jumps out of the bushes where he's been lurking all along.

So tomorrow, I start over. Oh, how many times in my life I have had to start over! I have to go back to the training program, get back on my diet, and oh yeah, because my goal is a little loftier, it also requires more wisdom and self-discipline than the last goal. Sound familiar? To whom much is given, much is required, right? (Luke 12:48) So now, with the heat of the day increasing, I need to diligently be hydrating myself, which is VERY hard to do. As much as I HATE needles, I would almost gladly insert a fluids IV attached to my body because that has GOT to be easier than trying to drink 64 oz. of water a day. But such is life, right? Every new possibility, goal, dream, desire requires new sacrifices, new things you "have" to do in order to make those ideas a reality.

But most importantly, now that I'm humbled back where I need to be, God will go with me. Oh, I know He never left my side before, but I'm pretty sure He took a step or two back, rolled His eyes at me, and grimaced when I fell. I know because sometimes I have to do that with my own kids...it's the only way they learn. So I've learned...again....and here we go...together again because forgiveness is the helping hand up everyone needs along life's way.