“Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1 NLT.)

My dad was a runner.  When I was young, we would all get in the car and drive to Frisch’s to pick him up.  He had “run the bridges.”  I went with him in my early twenties.  We drove to a parking lot at the edge of the Ohio River in Covington, Ky.  Then, we would run across the bridge into Cincinnati.  We ran from that bridge to the next and back across the river.

If anyone knew how to run with endurance, it was my dad.  He prayed with me and talked with me about the Lord until the very end.  The cancer diagnosis carried with it a weight of fear and worry.  He worried about finances and taking care of my mom.  The diagnosis was also a glimpse of the finish line for him.  He didn’t fall away.  He did what runners do when they see the finish line.

“Now, punch it!”  Even if you’ve been coasting the last mile and half. When you see the finish line,  you sprint to the end.

Sometimes, I forget that writing, like life, is a novel, not an essay.  Essays are easy to draft and quick to finish.  After a couple hours of work, you can send it off and be done with it.  Novels take time.  Some authors spend years writing one novel.  Crafting a story with thousands of words takes time.

Getting back into the swing of things after the holidays takes time too.  In the lazy days following the holidays, I have simplified my goals.  I revert to the days when I had to carry toddlers with me to run errands. Let’s do one thing today.

When running, sometimes, you have to slow the pace and walk for a while.  Walking doesn’t mean you quitting.  Every step counts.  Endurance takes time and practice.  Plenty of practice.  

“Let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.  We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus…” (Hebrews 12:1-2 NLT)