One of the words the doctors and physical therapists would often say is – endurance. Maezie would need to take time and be patient and build endurance; physically, mentally, and emotionally.
The irony in this is that Maezie was endurance training when the accident happened. Endurance takes time and it requires you to endure something hard to build it. And now that is what the Doctors are telling her, endurance is what she needs. God is so good to prepare her to understand the concept of endurance before she would need it at this level.
What we didn’t realize is that God would prepare us all for the upcoming trial. For my birthday this year, my oldest girls wanted me to get a “running” tattoo on my ankle. After lots of sketches and ideas the bottom line is about endurance. I got the tattoo in March and here we are in May and the theme is the same…endurance. God knew I would not only need it written on my heart, but on my body as a constant reminder.
The verses that this picture is based on is:
Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. (James 1:2-4)
And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. (Hebrews 12:1b-2)
God was preparing our whole family to build endurance together. We can only build endurance by enduring through some hard things. Enduring trials, is how the Bible says it, and that is what those mountains represent. Getting over those trials is like climbing mountains. When we have our faith tested it builds our endurance and endurance will have an effect of maturing, completing and lacking nothing. We must – Run My Race – each of us, as we keep our eyes on Jesus who is perfect and it making us more and more like Him.
Running My Race
Lashae, Charsie and Reece will still run this marathon, which it has taken more than miles to train for this one. It’s been trial after trial, but there is greater endurance and joy that is being built through all of this. The physical aspect of building endurance and running a race is a really great picture of what builds our faith. God often uses the physical to teach us and grow us, and this has been a lesson that will last a lifetime.
I get to run a 10k with Maubry, my oldest grand-daughter and Cellie and Shawnie are running the 5k. We are all running miles for Maezie and the next race she will be out there with us, leading the pack, I’m sure of it.
When we run, we pray, and this race will cover a lot of miles and prayers between all of us.
Maezie has come a long way in 17 days. Endurance is slow and steady and she is building every single day.
