Good Morning!
During the Wexford half-marathon that Dan, my Dad, and I participated in yesterday, the title of this post served as a mantra of sorts for the time I spent on my feet touring a little piece of County Wexford. As often happens, though, the mantra spurred my thinking. Bear with me as I work my way through a thought 🙂
Having done several longer races, and being generally enthusiastic about running, I often face two questions: “Why do you run?” and “How do you run for so long?” The answer to the first question is somewhat elusive, and changes as I grow older. The answer to the second is simple:
One step at a time.
It is extremely rare for me to be encountered with a race that I do not fear in some part. The competitors, the weather, my body’s condition and the race length all contribute their own doubts to an overall fear that I may not finish or do as well as I had hoped. There’s a beauty in the starting gun’s blast that dispels some of those thoughts by necessity, but some still remain. So how does one possibly continue, despite those doubts?
One step at a time.
Many times I’ve read the wise saying that states, “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” And it is true for all settings; a foot race, getting out of bed in the morning – all begin with a single step. Each subsequent step that follows, building off of each previous step, is the most important step in that moment, and the only part of the journey that we have any semblance of control over. Sometimes it bears reminding, no matter what the circumstances are – a homework assignment, a daunting move, a challenge faced head-on, a foot race, or ministry in Ireland, that we trust in the actions and decisions we make.
One step at a time.
In the midst of the challenges we face, whether the exertion and various pains of running a race, or elsewhere in life, I find a certain serenity in focusing on one step at a time. Yesterday, after committing myself to that one step, it was easier for me to look up and enjoy the rain, the people running around me, the kids on the side of the road eager to give a hi-five, or the peacefulness of the Irish farming countryside. I was more present to each moment the more I focused on completing the race the only way I knew how to finish.
One step at a time.
My prayer for you today is that you revel in the beautiful moments found in each single step, and that by the time the sun sets, you give thanks and glory to God for a wonderful journey – made one step at a time.
God Bless,
Kurt
