It's All Greek to Me: Part 2

We started our day off right today: with breakfast! We just started it off in the wrong place: our terrace! Though it's beautiful up there, it was a bit chilly. Bianca tried to power through, but I had to exclaim: "I'm outta here!" Our eggs and bacon were getting colder by the second! The star of breakfast was the homemade granola our host, John, made yesterday. We're almost out, but plan to have the same b-fast tomorrow. Yay! 

Every time we leave our little apartment here in Greece, we have to be ready to do battle! Battle with the language barrier, and it is a fierce warrior. Today, we really had one goal: pick up our race bibs. 

After having to jump out of a cab that had no idea what we were talking about. I mean no idea. We found a cab driver who would take us to the Taekwondo Exhibition Center in Filaro near the Olympic village. That's pretty much what we said when we got into the car, because none of the communication we received from the Athens marathon people included an address. It just said: "Pick up your bib at the Taekwondo Indoor Hall." Apparently, everyone who's anyone knows where this is.

Anyway, we found a cab driver who knew where this was. And he took us. But the whole way he kept offering to drive us to all the sites for the low low price of "too much" and intermittently said "no pressure" while applying insane amounts of pressure. Since we weren't in a rush to be taken for every penny we had, but also didn't want to anger this cab driver, we hemmed and hawed the whole way to the marathon expo. At that point, we allowed ourselves to be taken a little. He's already overcharged us on the way there, and offered to wait for us, to take us back for the same overcharged priced. Since cabs looks pretty scarce and we were in a graffiti-laden area, we accepted his "kind" offer.

Mission Accomplished:

Upon leaving the marathon expo, a fellow marathoner asked us what we thought our time would be. The conversation went like this:

Random guy: "So what are you guys thinking for time? 6 and a half?
Me: (flabbergasted)...umm...we were thinking 6.
Random guy: WOW! Good pace!

And then he was gone. Like the ghost of Christmas future. Leaving me scared and confused: six hours is extremely slow. Maybe he thought we'd run six and a half minute miles? No. Then we'd almost win...he really meant hours. What manner of race have we gotten ourselves into?!

I became discouraged. 

But success does not lie in our speed; it doesn’t lie in our minute per mile statistics, or in our split times. Success is in enduring to the end, and in having enough strength to finish the race. Sometimes I have this desire to be a superstar. I definitely have this desire as a runner, but also as a Christian. I have to be awesome. And when I let myself down, when I make mistakes, or when I press towards spiritual perfection much slower than I would like, I become discouraged. 

Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. – Isaiah 40:28-31 

Ultimately, this is what I want. Not just in this marathon, but in every aspect of my walk with Christ and my daily life. I want God to strengthen me to press on. When the people who should have strength (the young) fall down in exhaustion, I want to be held up by the power of the Lord. Some would say it’s dumb to pray for help with a marathon. But if you read my previous blogs, you’ll know: I think God cares about every aspect of my life. If he cares to know the number of hairs on my head (Luke 12:7), then I’m thinking he cares if I fall to pieces at mile 19. But more than the marathon, I want to wait on the Lord to make me who He has called me to be and to not be discouraged by how long it might take. 

Lord, I know that the race is not given to the swift or to the strong, but to the person who endures. People can train their bodies, sometimes we believe we can train our heart, but human effort cannot always win the race. Bless us to seek endurance rather than performance. To seek staying power rather than speed. Strength comes from you, Lord; bless us to always seek our strength in you. Help us not to fear the journey, but to rest in the knowledge that you will lead us across all of life's finish lines. In Jesus name. Amen!