Marathon: 5th Place?

My overall time was 1:56:56 

An average pace of 8:55 minute miles.

Last week I completed my first half marathon. I'm a very competitive person. I came in 5th place...but 5th place was just short of 4th, which is just short of 3rd, which is just short of 2nd, and just short of 1st....Get how my mind works now? Competitive.
Don't get me wrong: 5th was great for my first half, but I'm not satisfied. This is why I am signing up for a full marathon in Saipan and a triathlon in July. (Please join me if you would like for the Tri)

While running my half marathon, I had a lot of time to think; 1 hr 56 min and 56 sec of thinking time to be precise. Running a marathon is the model of life.

There were 700 other runners at my half marathon. We all started at the same start line. We all finished at the same finish line.

It was how we ran the half marathon in between the start and the finish that really determined the type of race we had. 

It's just like life. We all start life out the same way. We all end life the same way. It's how we do life in between those two lines that really determines the value of our life. More specifically, who we live our life for.

I found that at mile 7 I fell into a pattern. My breathing and steps came without me thinking about them. If I didn't force myself to speed up, I could have easily finished the marathon, but with a longer time. Sometimes I wonder if our lives can also model this. Our lives become a sort of pattern, our days happening without us truly finding purpose, and we lose sight of the urgency in life. Too quickly our lives happen before our eyes without us truly experiencing each mile for what its worth.

We end up leaving to teach in a foreign country, Saipan, in 7 days for 3 months to come back 3 days before graduation in May that will leave you with a degree that you spent 4 years of your life working for. (If you didn't catch on, that's where I'm at in my life right now trying not to panic. ) 

How do we fix this? How do we not fall into a pattern at mile 7? By who you live your life for in the in between of the start and finish line. By not living for the world, but living for God. Asking God to give you joy and experience each day for what it is worth by asking Him to use you every moment of the day.

I also realized that there's a catch to my idea of life as a marathon. We only get one marathon to run. We don't have the opportunity to come in 5th and sign up for another marathon hoping for the best; unsatisfied with our first marathon. This is it. When I cross that final line, I cross it. I take off my running shoes and I am done.

So my challenge? Who are you running your marathon for? We have all already crossed the first line called start...now we are running; coming closer to that line called finish. How will your marathon look when you are finished? Please don't fall into a pattern at mile 7 and be satisfied with that. Pick up the pace, seek God in your life, and truly enjoy every mile of your marathon.