COVID-19 may have us quaratined in our houses, but life is NOT cancelled.
Nor is hope.
As my friend Whitney and her family so beautifully reminded us this past week, HOPE IS HERE.
It's not coming.
We don't have to wait for it.
It's here already.
RIGHT NOW.
Even in the midst of the chaos and challenges of the corona virus.
HOPE IS HERE.
And this morning, I felt that.
So very much.
I felt it as I watched my girls sing and dance and worship with the people on our screen.
I felt it as a I listened to my pastor.
I felt it as we took communion together as a family.
I felt it I videod my girls acting out a Palm Sunday play.
I pray YOU feel it now as you read my words.
They were inspired by my pastor's message.
At some point, I can't even remember when, he said something that stirred something in my heart.
I grabbed my phone, clicked on an app, and pulled up a new note.
I typed out:
Books may not be written about me.
I may not ever write a book (a dream of mine).
BUT my name IS in THE Book that matters, the BOOK OF LIFE.
I then went back to listening to Tim.
But thoughts kept running through my head, as he spoke about running with endurance the race set before us. Our passage was Hebrews 12:1-2 if you want to read the verses on your own.
He reminded us that life is NOT a sprint.
It's not a 5k, 10k, half marathon, or even FULL marathon.
Rather, it's an ULTRA marathon.
Tim, an avid long distance runner (one of those crazy people who actually LIKES running and does it BY CHOICE for FUN), shared how those in the ultra marathon community have a motto to get them through the long, hard miles. When they don't feel like they can take another step, they remember that the race is finished simply by making RELENTLESS FORWARD PROGRESS.
It may not be pretty.
Or fast.
But rather, one plodding step after another, they go on.
With RELENTLESS FORWARD PROGRESS.
As soon as he said that, I picked my phone back up and jotted that phrase down.
And then a whole HOST of thoughts came rushing through my head.
The race was ON apparently.
Here's what my thumbs feverishly typed out:
In our race of life, we take ONE more step forward.
We face ONE more day,
one more load of laundry,
one more diaper change,
one more meal prepared,
one more mess cleaned up,
one more bedtime story read.
No one may ever see waht you do behind the walls of your home (office, classroom, etc).
But GOD sees.
He knows.
You may have heard the quote, "The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world."
We KNOW the heroes.
We know their names, their stories.
However, we must NOT forget that their stories are possible because of IMPORTANT people "behind the scenes" and also those characters in supporting roles.
We may not be familiar with those individuals.
We most likely don't know their names.
BUT, behind those well-known men, women, and children whose names we DO know are "unknown" MOTHERS (and fathers, brothers, sisters, teachers, friends, college roommates, high school teammates, preschool playmates, neighbors, co-workers, etc).
They are just as much a part of the story.
Whether we realize it or not.
You may not EVER get the lead role.
or even find your name in the LOOOOOOONG list written in the TINIEST print at the end of the movie as the credits scroll and the screen is turned off or people make their way out of the theater (remember those days when we WENT to the theater?!) paying no attention to and showing no appreciation for the part YOU played in making the grand production happen
You may never sit in first chair
or ANY chair in the band or orchestra
You may never have a solo in the musical
or even get a part in the chorus
You may never win a gold medal or blue ribbon
or award of ANY kind
You may not be mentioned on the honor roll or make First Team All-State
You may never be interviewed for a TV news story or newspaper article
You may never build an Instagram following of 1000s
or get more than a few likes on Facebook
Your tik tok videos may never go viral
You may never have your own YouTube channel
You may life your live day after day after day and feel completely unseen, unknown.
Lost in the crowd
Left behind
You may think (wrongly) that your "ordinary" life doesn't matter.
You may be tempted to stop running the race set before you.
Why keep going?
Why even bother?
No one seems to notice, appreciate, or care anyway...
You may think you don't have a story to tell at all.
You feel forgotten
Nameless
And still
Even then
ESPECIALLY THEN
your name CAN BE in the Book of Life!!!
Because GOD knows your name
and the number of hairs on your head
and EVERY SINGLE detail about you.
He created you
fearfully,
wonderfully,
with great care and precision and love and purpose.
You are a masterpiece, HIS masterpiece.
And God has good things planned for YOU.
He is writing YOUR story,
and thus it NEEDS to be heard,
and so it HAS to be told,
which means it MUST FIRST BE LIVED.
One day at a time.
Will you CHOOSE then to run?
TODAY,
and then day after day after day,
step after step after weary step.
It may not be pretty,
or fast.
You may feel like you're plodding more than running, but still...
You make RELENTELSS FORWARD PROGRESS.
Until that GLORIOUS day when Jesus returns (or He takes you home).
And then, as you cross the finish line, a HUGE cloud of witnesses will erupt in cheers of celebration.
I got chills as our pastor told us to imagine a stadium, the BIGGEST stadium ever, FULL of men, women, and children who finished the race before us. Think Olympics, only 5 billion times bigger and better.
From there, you are ushered to a throne room for a private audience with the King of kings.
Trembling, you look up to see Jesus waiting
FOR YOU
with open arms, hands stretched out wide (you can see the scars from the cross where He died for you that you might stand before Him at this very moment)
He has the biggest smile on His face,
tears running down His cheeks.
He motions you to COME.
But before you can take another step,
overwhelmed with a whole range of emotions,
you fall to your knees and collapse on the floor.
There, in a heap on the ground, unable to move,
Jesus comes RUNNING towards you.
He bends down, gets right there on the floor with you,
wraps His arms around you,
and pulls you in close.
He leans in, and whispers right in your ear.
You hear YOUR NAME,
and then, "Well done, My good and faithful servant. Well done. I'm so glad you're here. I've been waiting for this moment since the day you were born."
Then, He helps you to your feet and announces that the party can begin.
You go back to the stadium and join the crowd.
You see another runner coming towards the finish line and you begin to cheer,
welcoming this brother or sister with the same enthusiasm you experienced just moments before.
On and on and on it goes.
A never-ending celebration as one faithful believer after another is received into glory,
each and every one hearing their NAME called out as Jesus reads it from His Book of Life.
That vision gives me HOPE.
Here and now.
In the middle of the race.
In the mud and muck of life's challenges.
In the dark valley of the shadow of death.
In the unknown of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Yes, even now, I have hope and am going to CHOOSE to run with endurance the race set before me.
Will you join me?
Running is always so much more enjoyable with a running partner.
The idea of a super marathon,
or even the thought of a 5k,
can be overwhelming.
Let's remember how EVERY race is finished.
ONE step at a time.
Let's embrace the motto of those crazy ultra marathon people.
Let's make RELENTLESS FORWARD PROGRESS.
It may not be pretty
or fast.
We may PLOD.
But still, we move.
We live out our story, ONE day, ONE step at at time.
As 2 elf brothers just showed us, we keep going ONWARD, no matter how crazy the journey may be.
And so TODAY, we put one foot in front of the other.
As my pastor Tim described it, we simply do the next faithful thing.
2 brave sisters have demonstrated this for us.
Even as a grown adults, we can learn from their example.
Like them, we may have to venture into the unknown, and the path may be dark, and we may be scared, and we may not think we can do all the things asked of us, but still we CAN choose do the NEXT RIGHT THING.
And if you get lost or confused, overwhelmed or distracted, as we ALL will from time to time, may I suggest listening to Emily P. Freeman's podcast. In her peaceful, soothing voice she offers practical wisdom and heartfelt encouragement, reminding us life is lived ONE decision at a time.
Just as books (even the LOOOOONG ones like War and Peace) are written one chapter, one page, one paragraph, one sentence, one word, one letter at a time.
God has His pen in hand, ready to keep writing YOUR story.
And I for one can't wait to read it.
Or hear him call out YOUR name from His Book of Life.
I will be there in the huge crowd, jumping up and down, face painted, flags waving, shouting with joy until my voice is hoarse, cheering YOU on as you cross the finish line.
And if you beat me to the end, I know you'll do the same for me.
WE'RE IN THIS TOGETHER.
ALL THE WAY TO THE FINISH.
ONE STEP AT A TIME.
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