Rachel Whisman

I got back into running a couple of months ago. Maybe it was the challenge my dad instigated with me or the fact that there will be ice cream at the end of this race that propelled me back into the game. Either way, training for the race started. This race may end with ice cream, but one must endure the various rolling hills this course has to offer first to earn it.

Two weeks ago, I went for a long run and incorporated hills into my route. I had never gone this way before and just made it up as I went trying to include as much elevation gain as I could. Last week, I ran the same route, but my friend joined me. As we were running, I was directing her in which direction we were going and heading. I was the tour guide on the route. Along the way, I would point out to her where the next hill would be and when to try and conserve energy for said hills. As we passed a street, I mentioned how we would go up this sharp incline of a street on our way back. Her face looked slightly terrified at the sight of it, but I encouraged her that we would be able to tackle it and we kept on running. 

She was along for the run, but I knew what we were getting ourselves into. Especially at the end when we would finish our run up a nice long hill that made your legs feel like steel at the end. I was not nervous because I had already done this before. My friend, not so much. This was her first time but fast forward and she nailed it. 

Highlighting all these different aspects of our run made me realize how much in life I am my friend and in some way, I was an example of Christ. The Lord is Emmanuel, God is with us, and He is with us in this race we call life. He is our tour guide and pacer. He knows everything that we are going to experience, “This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin” (Hebrews 4:15 NLT). He is fully aware of all the hills we are going to face and the flat plains of everyday mundaneness that we will have to run, walk, crawl, or jog with endurance. He is with us as life can quickly turn and we are met with a strenuous uphill battle that briskly takes the breath out of our lungs and our strides become more sluggish and heavy. Life trudges through from the impact of an unexpected diagnosis, intense crippling anxiety, loss in a relationship, or simply, but albeit, jarring when expectations are unmet. Then, arriving at the top of the hill or the end of the trial we just try to keep one foot in front of the other and settle down our breathing. 

God does tell us that we will meet “trials of various kinds,” (James 1:2) as we run this race. Yet, I am glad that the Lord does not reveal all the uphill routes that we will face in life, but chooses to conceal them until we come upon them (Deuteronomy 29:29). When we come upon them, He is still Emmanuel. He is still with us and He is the one enabling us by His Spirit (Philippians 2:12-13).

I used to think that I would want to know what was coming up, but being the “tour guide” for my friend made me humbly step back a bit. As nice as it was to point out the upcoming hills, the company with my friend, where we were at in our run, and the focus of being in that moment was much better than continuing to point things out to her. That does not mean we do not prepare for trials by being ignorant and just “let go and let God” and then run our lives however we want. No, we abide in Christ. We get to know our Emmanuel, who is with us, by being in His word, talking with Him in prayer, fellowshipping with His bride, the Church, singing songs of adoration to Him, reading books about His attributes or those who have gone before us and their testament to His faithfulness, and much more. Then when life takes a turn so does Christ with us and his voice of guidance will be much clearer through whatever comes. He will help us, He is faithful. Keep running my friends. His grace is sufficient for you today whether your pace is a walk, run, jog, sprint, crawl, or dance. “My God will supply you with everything that you need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:20). It will be well worth it at the end. Not that we will have endured the rolling hills that life had to offer us or the unlimited amounts of ice-cream to feast on, but because we will get to be with Jesus forever.