Music blared through the sound system. My husband, oldest daughter, youngest son, and I all huddled in prayer. The announcer reminded us (and the thousands of other runners) that we only had five more minutes to find our assigned corrals. We gave each other one last hug then divided to find our places. Runners all around me, wearing bright shoes and with numbers pinned to their shirts took selfies, attempted to stretch their legs amid the standing-room-only crowd, and sent one last text. There was so much energy at the starting line of my first half marathon.
I’d planned for this moment for months, registering our family for the race, blocking off my calendar for this weekend, incorporating runs into my days, increasing my mileage, and pushing my body harder than I ever had before. Everything had been building toward this moment. But no matter how much I’d prepared, I couldn’t know for certain how my race would go. Would it rain or be scorching hot? Because either would definitely make running harder. Would my bad knee hold out? Had my training fully prepared me? Would it be one of those days where I felt like I could run and run and run, or one of those days where I had to grind out the miles? Because I have both. I was so excited to run, yet my head swirled with what-ifs.
What Can We Do?
It’s true for so many beginnings in life—the new job, the wedding, the birth, the move into a new home, the first day of school. We plan and organize and make to-do lists. We do everything in our power to make our “something new” perfect. But the truth is, although we have some control over the inputs, we can’t control the outcomes.
We can buy all the school supplies and first day of school outfits, attend the meet the teacher night, and fill out the forms for our kiddos as they begin a new school year. But we can’t guarantee they’ll forge healthy friendships, that their teacher will understand them, that they’ll thrive in the classroom. What if they don’t?
We can research communities based on tax rates, convenience, and safety, spend countless hours on Zillow scouting out potential new homes, and then tour them with a realtor. We can sort through our belongings, donate what we no longer need, and purchase the piece of furniture that will fit much better in our new place. We can Google doctors and gyms and hairstylists in our new neighborhood. But we can’t control how long it will take until it feels like home, how many tries it will take to find the right church or dentist, or if we’ll find a best friend on our new block. What if it’s hard?
What if this new beginning doesn’t work out?
What Will God Do?
We have good news, because our God:
- Is faithful.
“Never will I leave you;
never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).
- Gives us everything we need.
The Lord is my shepherd. I have everything I need (Psalm 23:1).
- Always finishes what He starts.
. . . being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6).
So sure, we can’t know how everything will play out. But we know that our loving, faithful, powerful, kind God will stay by our sides, giving us everything we need. And we can be confident that if we need to change courses, shift our plans, or try an alternate strategy—if things are awkward or slow—He will be with us until the thing He has called us to is completed.
Listen. Despite some extremely wonky weather the day before, it was a beautiful day for my half marathon. Not too hot. Not too cold. I had trained well. I had an awesome worship playlist reminding me of God’s goodness in my headphones. At mile eleven that was all straight up hill, I hit a wall and had to walk. I was so frustrated with myself, because in training I’d run the entire 13.1 miles. But I couldn’t run another step. I kept moving. Slowly. Hands on top of my head, trying to breathe deep gulps of air. I attempted to jog again but stumbled back to a walk. As I approached mile twelve, I told myself I could run that last 1.1 miles, so I pushed myself to try jogging one more time. But I was feeling depleted and wasn’t sure how long I could sustain it. And then, something I never planned for happened. My eighteen-year old son, who had already completed the race, hopped off the sidewalk where he’d been waiting for me, jogged next to me, told me I was doing great, and ran with me all the way to the finish line. His presence put a spring in my step, distracted me from my exhaustion, and encouraged and motivated me to finish strong. I felt so seen and loved and supported.
Jesus does the same for us. He’s by our side on every step of our journeys. Yes, at the start, inviting us into opportunities and possibilities, building up that excitement in our souls. But also during the rough parts, the parts when things aren’t going as planned, where we don’t know how to keep going. He shows up with something spectacular that we never even considered. And He’s with us all the way until we cross the finish line.
Our God? He’s for us and not us against us. He loves us so much that we don’t have to worry about the what-ifs. Our journeys might not go as we planned; in fact, they probably won’t. But Jesus gives us the energy and encouragement we need, sometimes how or when we least expect it, and helps us finish strong.
—Written by Laura L. Smith. Used by permission from the author.
