Rashida Wright

And let us not be weary in well-doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. – Galatians 6:9

I’m at a point in my life where I am confronting two things I have tried to avoid the majority of my life: working out and choosing healthier meals. The workouts are not complicated but do require consistency, a character trait that is also in progress. As the young people say, I’m in my running era and it hasn’t been easy. When I did run in my 20s it seemed much easier. Maybe I romanticized how much “easier” since there are some years of distance between then and now. But I also believe it was about repetition and familiarity. When I was running in Atlanta, I pretty much ran the same path. A little variety here and there but overall, I ran around the same times at night (don’t judge lol), around the same neighborhood, around the same path. I knew what to expect, how far I planned to go, when I planned to turn around and what counted as “extra” for my run. I never looked at mileage, I just knew how far I wanted to go.

In my current running pattern, which I admit is not as consistent as it was in my early 20s, I feel like I don’t have a set path. I have a goal, which is 1.5 miles but I’m still trying to figure out what paths I must run in my neighborhood or in the park to meet that goal. Sometimes I’m under, sometimes I’m over but it’s not quite finalized. I keep running (and sometimes stopping to catch my breath) until my phone tells me I have reached my goal. It requires me to endure even when I think I should be done because the goal has not been met. However, I know that there is a finish line, I just don’t know exactly where it is.

On my run today, the first in at least 3 weeks, as I was listening to Derek Prince talk about the testing season, it was clear that there was a parallel between the tests God puts us through and the action of running unfamiliar paths. Minister Prince used an example that God may have assigned a trial to last 6 months, but in the 5^th  month and 29^th day, that’s when most believers give up, forfeiting the promise they were waiting for all that time. The tests of God are much like running a new path. It’s new, it’s exciting, challenging and you don’t really know where you’re going. As you go along the way, you’re praying for help, for His strength and stamina, hoping to get to the finish line. And because you really don’t know how much farther you have to go, the temptation to quit becomes louder and louder.

But don’t.

Keep going. Keep going tired, keep going when it doesn’t make sense, keep going even when it seems like you won’t make it (heavy on seems).

Today, I did finish my run, well over the 1.5-mile mark. At one point towards the end, I stopped to catch my breath and bird watch, but I didn’t realize how close to the end I was. Thankfully, the Lord gave me enough strength to finish.

If you’re in a season of trials now, you’re not alone. Myself and many others are with you. But most importantly, The Lord is with you, pacing your steps along the way. I say this to me and to you, trust the process, do not be afraid and know that He wants to see you victorious in His strength.

Keep running my friend, if you faint not, you will reap your reward.

What test are you facing and how are you choosing to endure?  Let me know on in the comments or hit me up on social. Let’s encourage each other.