Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Escape Clause

I am in a rest, recovery and rebuilding phase of my running and training. We trained hard all summer, had a race packed September in which we totally expended oursleves-several times. Now we are in recovery and rebuilding mode.

Which means that I have way dialed back on my mileage. And that I occasionally run with my boys.

Our next race is the Dallas Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day. Mr. Hippie and I will be running the 8 mile race. Our boys will be running the 5k with my sister.

While I am in rest mode, the boys are in training mode. I get the privilege of looking like the horrible mother who is pushing her kids too hard. Because they are running at 7:15 in the morning. And they are wasting some of their running energy by (literally) crying that this is too hard.

Except, I know that it really isn’t. It is hard, but I know they can run the distances I make them run. Because they have run them before.

Running is rarely easy, and it is rarely impossible. It is hard, but possible.

We run progressively harder, longer and farther as their endurance increases. We raise the bar and challenge ourselves.

My job as their mother/coach is to help them prepare for their races. My job is to gauge their skill and endurance levels and to evaluate where they can do better and run further, faster.

I have shared the encouragement that I receive from 1 Corinthians 10:13...(link to that post)


I love all of it, but this phrase is such an encouragement to me...

He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. 

Unlike me, who may on occasion, wrongly gauge the running, endurance and skill levels of my boys, God always perfectly gauges my endurance level in resisting temptation.

He will not let me be tempted beyond what I can bear. He will never put a temptation before me that the only choice is to sin because I can’t resist. It may not be easy to resist, but it is certainly possible.

Also, the darkest and coldest part of the morning is right before dawn. So it is with temptations, tests and trials. They are the hardest and worst right before they are done. Satan is fighting his hardest. The cumulative effect is weighing down on you, and you can't take.any.more. 

It is right then that God continues to gives us grace and help to stand up under temptation or...

God shows His grace and faithfulness in the other way. He provides a way out. If I am faltering and stumbling, He has a way of escape right there for me to take.

Always, always.