The Patience to Persevere

Went for a run today. About 5 ½ miles. I would like to say that’s a shorter run for me, but considering I’m just now starting back up, I have to be honest in saying it’s one of my “longer” runs.

Cold? Check. Wind? Definitely. Rain? Entire time.

Surprisingly, though, it was quite a success. One, because I started and finished, without stopping (ah, except to tie my shoe). Two, because my iPod is still fully functioning. Three, because I was super stoked with my time. Not to mention, I saw about eight turkeys…heck yes!!!

It is runs like today that I tend to get lost in my thoughts. Today, I found myself every time I started going up a hill or getting tired, saying, “It’s the patience to persevere. The patience to persevere. Patience. Persevere.”

Every day I get a “Daily Kick in the Butt” from Runner’s World. It’s a quote for the day, and back at the beginning of November I got one that said, “Running well is a matter of having the patience to persevere when we are tired and not expecting instant results,” Robert de Castella (a World champion marathon runner).

Few have resonated with me more.

As I’ve often alluded to, I tend to expect and demand perfection from myself. Yeah, well that’s not how it usually ever works out. So I get frustrated. The same thing happens with me and running. If I don’t do as well as I think I should, I get mad at myself. I get burnt out super quick and end up taking extended breaks, haha.

But wait! Running well isn’t necessarily consistently performing at an optimum level; rather, it is the patience to persevere. So today, out in the cold wind and rain I continued to tell myself, “Alysha, it’s the patience to persevere. Don’t stop because you don’t think you’re doing well enough. Just keep moving.”

Now, before I continue, I have to say…I’m not trying to blatantly spiritualize things, and sound a whole lot holier or wiser or whatever. But for real, this is really what went on in my head! So just hang with me.

I've recently started reading John Ortberg’s book, “The Me I Want to Be” (I got to Chapter 8 a few months ago and stopped, so I decided to start over again). In one of the beginning chapters, Ortberg says, “The truth is, a life of freedom and joy is available right now.”

Freedom…right now!!! Doesn’t that sound so awesome!

Uh, yes!! But then I think, “That’s not possible, I’ve tried before.” After processing and writing out my thoughts, I discovered the flaw in my thinking: I have equated freedom with perfection. Freedom is not perfection; it’s closer to the opposite!! Sounds simple; but for me, it’s taken a while and requires constant reminding.

Freedom allows you to process, learn, change, and grow.

Freedom affords the patience to persevere.

What’s true in running is so very true when it comes to us becoming the person God has created us to be: "Following Christ well" is the patience to persevere when we are tired...even hurting, battling, struggling…and not expecting instant results.

3 “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”

Romans 5:3-5 (NIV)