Back in the Spring I ran the Country Music Marathon. Going into it I knew it was going to be hilly, but I was not fully aware of how hilly it would be. I had high aspirations, high goals, and wanted to run very fast. I was at my fittest. Like most well-prepared runners I wanted to know the exact elevation profile. So, I went to the race's website. Attached is the elevation profile they added to the site. So, it looks hilly...right? It also looks manageable and doable. However, I went into the race planning the same pace despite the course or the unusual heat for a late April day. Needless to say the end product was not what I had hoped for. Dehydration, severe dehydration made me stop. My pace slowed from 5:48 miles to 6:20 to 7:00 in a short span. You get the idea..
I have attached what the elevation profile looked like in real time. I had to stop just before the 17 mile mark and get medical attention. It was the first drop out I had experienced. When I got home and uploaded my GPS watch data, the image rendered generated a better picture of what the course was actually like and felt like. The image on the race's site had zoomed out and smoothed out all the long, gradual and smaller hills which really made the impact.
As I got over the initial disappointment of the race and can now look back at the positives from the race and learn retrospectively I wonder. If we were able to zoom out on the continuum of life and see the start to the finish where all we see is the bottom of the hill gradually climbing to the top would we walk with more faith knowing the end product is the top of the hill? Would we ignore the ups and downs which actually comprise the gradual climb and create the unique difficulty of the journey? Would we stop and pull out if we knew the intricacies? It made me realize this: God sees and knows the things before they ever happen. He has a unique plan for us and he can see the "big picture". However, it is along that journey... Along those undulating hills... Along the ups and downs that we truly experience God's providence and experience all He has for us.
When we finally get to the top of the mountain and truly realize all that God has had planned for our lives then we can look back at the process and reflect with awe and amazement all that God has done for us. "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11
I have attached what the elevation profile looked like in real time. I had to stop just before the 17 mile mark and get medical attention. It was the first drop out I had experienced. When I got home and uploaded my GPS watch data, the image rendered generated a better picture of what the course was actually like and felt like. The image on the race's site had zoomed out and smoothed out all the long, gradual and smaller hills which really made the impact.
As I got over the initial disappointment of the race and can now look back at the positives from the race and learn retrospectively I wonder. If we were able to zoom out on the continuum of life and see the start to the finish where all we see is the bottom of the hill gradually climbing to the top would we walk with more faith knowing the end product is the top of the hill? Would we ignore the ups and downs which actually comprise the gradual climb and create the unique difficulty of the journey? Would we stop and pull out if we knew the intricacies? It made me realize this: God sees and knows the things before they ever happen. He has a unique plan for us and he can see the "big picture". However, it is along that journey... Along those undulating hills... Along the ups and downs that we truly experience God's providence and experience all He has for us.
When we finally get to the top of the mountain and truly realize all that God has had planned for our lives then we can look back at the process and reflect with awe and amazement all that God has done for us. "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11
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