Rising Above, Part 2

I just can’t stop!  I was laying in bed last night thinking more about what I wrote and thought, “That’s it, there will have to be a part two.”  I have issues.

Yesterday, my running partner and I ran a 10k.  It was our first one ever but it’s really just part of the training for the half.  Her foot has been bothering her.  It had gotten worse all week.  It’s possible she should not have run yesterday.  We struggled through the first few miles then we decided I should just go on ahead.

I got to mile three and wondered why I was doing this.  It was not fun.  It was getting hot.  My legs hurt.  It’s also no fun to have no one to talk to so I started talking to random people along the way.  When we got to the end I had been on the tail of two women for about a mile. 

As I got closer I said to them, “I’ve been following you for a while, don’t let me beat you at the end.  You look good!”  It gave us a little chuckle and the energy to push through to the finish. 

My friend Heather came in a ways behind me, one of the last ones.  She had started talking to another woman that was struggling to finish, just coming off an injury.  She encouraged her to finish.  She said, “We can either walk this in 30 minutes or run it in 15.”  So they ran it together, foot throbbing all the way.

After they crossed the finish line, the lady came up to her and said, “Thank you so much!”

In any situation in life, we can rise above. Even my tired and hurt friend was able to rise above and be an encouragement. 

Not only in life as a mom, but in all of life, I want to choose to rise above.  I don’t want to be a downer, complainer who only sees the negative.  I want to inspire and encourage.  With my kids and everyone else I come into contact with.  Friends, strangers, or random people struggling through a 10k.

We can rise above through the power of the Holy Spirit.  The best thing is that when we do we magnify Christ.  We give Him glory for all he is doing in our life.  I can’t be inspiring on my own because I struggle with being tired and frustrated and angry.

But Christ in me, I can rise above bringing Him glory.  When you see another struggling mom, encourage and help.  When someone at church is in a tough situation, pray and help.  When the situation seems hopeless, share hope.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. I myself am convinced, my brothers and sisters, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with knowledge and competent to instruct one another. Yet I have written you quite boldly on some points to remind you of them again, because of the grace God gave me to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles. He gave me the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.  Romans 12:13-16

Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.  2 Corinthians 13:11

Life is much more joyful for me when I choose to rise above and encourage rather than let my circumstances sideline me.  I just need to look to God to do that work in me more often.