Life Is A Race

Life is a race. Not a competitive race. Everyone's life is just a different race.

Our race may change course, there may be obstacles we must overcome, but if we keep our eyes on the Lord, we will reach our finish line and receive our prize. It is not always about the finish line, though. The journey is just as important. We need to make sure we don't miss something along the way while keeping our eyes on the prize.

Because I am a Christian and an athlete, this analogy is easy for me to see. Why do I race? Not to win (otherwise I would have given up long ago), but because it is a personal challenge. I'm a woman wearing so many hats -- wife, mother, Sunday School teacher, school volunteer, soccer mom -- juggling life's joys and frustrations. Talk about personal challenges! I hope to use this blog as an outlet for my frustrations and a proclamation of my joys as I tackle all the challenges I face in life.

One of my favorite Bible verses that helps me get through the hard times and relates to racing is also imprinted on my Road ID:

But those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 40:31

Monday, October 3, 2011

Waiting


No, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth. Life happened and blogging wasn't at the top of the list. So, why blog now? Well, I have my reasons, but the biggest one is just that God is speaking and I'm listening, and I'd like to share.

First, I'll summarize what's gone on with me over the past year. I am going somewhere with this. Back in the spring, I started a triathlon training group for the Danskin Triathlon. This wasn't a group I got paid to coach, but instead, it was sort of my way of getting my feet wet. So, I had a meeting and started a Facebook group and
e-mail list. I had some that wanted to do the tri and others who just wanted motivation to work out. Most of the women were new to triathlon. So, I'd e-mail out the weekly workouts and give everyone encouragement. It ended up being really fun, even though I only had about 5 women actually compete in the tri that we were training for. There were a couple who really got pumped up, though, and went on to do several other tris. That excited me! I was also excited that I placed 3rd in my age group at Danskin, which was a first for me, and I really surprised myself. In the midst of all this coaching and training, I planned and put on my twin daughters' 10th birthday party. They wanted a Harry Potter party, so I went all out. It was the best party ever! That will be a future post because I promised several people I'd blog about it. ;) So, I continued through the summer training and racing in 4 triathlons. It was a REALLY HOT SUMMER for triathlons. I survived, though.

So, that brings us to now, the fall. I'm now training for a marathon, and I have been thinking about beginning coaching or personal training for a while now. I've prayed about it, and God keeps telling me to wait. Then, my youngest child started kindergarten this fall. That's when it started. The questions...."So are you going to get a job now?" "What are you going to do all day?" Etc.... Those of you who are stay at home moms and have all your kids in school know EXACTLY what I'm talking about. Even though I had PLENTY to do at home (everything that got put off for 10 years), I was feeling the push and this urgency to get a job. I wanted to get my coaching started NOW.

Wait. You don't really need the money.

There were things I wanted to buy, like a new tri bike, granite countertops, and bedroom furniture.

Wait. You don't need those things.

I thought I was going to miss an opportunity with running season coming up. I wanted to get started before tri season starts so I can get clients, etc... I didn't really want to travel to a clinic for certification, though, I started to consider doing that.

Wait. Your opportunity will come.

I kept looking for ways to get some sort of certification so that I could get liability insurance and start coaching. There were no running coach clinics listed on the website, so I signed up to get e-mailed when they posted new clinics. There were no USAT (USA Triathlon) clinics anywhere near me either, and they didn't have much posted for 2012. I thought about personal training, which is something I could do on my own, but it would take 6 months and cost the same, and that just isn't what I wanted to do.

Wait. Don't settle.

I was tired of waiting!! Please just tell me, God! Then, I realized that this wasn't something that had to happen right now. It wasn't as if my family depended on me earning money. I haven't worked in 10 years. What's another few months?
So, I finally surrendered and decided it would happen when it was supposed to happen. Then, I get an e-mail that 3 running clinics were posted. All three of them are in Texas. This was my opportunity. I talked to my husband about it, and he thought I should do it. I hesitated for a day and thought about it. Then, one of the clinics had already sold out. I was feeling pressure to sign up before the others sold out. I'm not great at doing things without LOTS of research. I'm a planner. I looked into the certification and saw that the liability insurance would not cover triathlon. So, again I felt I was at a dead end and should
wait.

This is it.

I felt that tug. There was a reason those clinics came up in Texas. What are the chances that the clinics that came up would be in Texas. They could have been anywhere in the US! I got the e-mail. It was like an e-mail from God saying "Go For It!" So, I did a quick google search for "triathlon coach certification". Of course, the USAT site
came up but so did another one -- International Triathlon Coaching Association (ITCA). They have a 32 day online certification. I wouldn't have to travel or get a hotel or wait until next year! Ultimately, I want to get the USAT certification, but this would be very good information, and it would get me my liability insurance so I can start coaching running and triathlon.

So, I still haven't signed up, but I don't feel rushed. I feel like I can wait until the time is exactly right. God will tell me when. I feel so much more at peace. I really hate to be pushed into something or feel like I'm rushing into something. I'm also still trying to figure everything out, but I know God is going to guide me and bring me
clients. For now, I'll continue to coach my friends for free because I am passionate and care about them.


Waiting. We spend so much of our lives waiting. We wait in line at the grocery store, we wait in traffic, we wait for our paycheck, we wait for an e-mail or a phone call, we wait for that package in the mail, we wait at the doctor's office, we wait on the phone on hold, we wait, wait, and wait some more. I don't know anyone who LIKES to wait, whether we are waiting for something we want or don't want. We just don't like to wait. Just tell me!! I've found that the way we feel about waiting all depends on what we are doing while we are waiting. If we are waiting passively, we feel like our time is being wasted. If we can wait actively (even if it means doing dishes while on hold with Samsung to get the microwave fixed), we feel a little better about the waiting, but we still don't like it. We feel stuck. Is God really wasting our time by making us wait? Do we need to find something to do while waiting on God? I think God wants us to wait actively. I think usually He just wants us to listen. He is trying to tell us something. How many times do we just get frustrated waiting and tune Him out, though? I feel like He's saying, "If you will just wait and listen in the waiting, I'll give you the answer!" It wasn't until I listened and stopped getting frustrated with the waiting that He gave me the answer I was waiting for. Now, I have a whole bunch more questions, but those can wait.


Linking up with Jen:

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