The Race

“You are not making the cut.”

“You are not enough; you can’t do this.”
So often these are the things we whisper to ourselves.
Not only are we moms, wives and keepers of our home, but we are also the primary educators of our children.
At times it can feel overwhelming.

We feel as if we are always behind, just trying to keep up.
Our calling starts to feel less like a gift and more like a race:
a race against the daily clock and the monthly calendar;

a race against time, ourselves, and the world around us.
We only have 18 years from womb to launch with our children and there is so much to teach them; so many passions to ignite and fuel.
Character, academia, life skills…and it all falls on our shoulders.

“What if I fail? What if I miss something? What if I mess it up? Worse yet? What if I am pouring out everything and get nowhere?”
These questions plague us.

If life is a race we have to fight hard each day to stay ahead.

In a race we push hard and anything that slows us down is a road block leading to feelings of anxiety and frustration.
Someone trying to run you off the road? Fight harder, go faster, hold your ground, even if it means running into them. (Often that ‘someone’ may be your own children on the days they don’t cooperate!)

This results in constant fear and feelings of doubt.
It seems that the harder we push, the more defeated we end up feeling.

But, ponder this: what if we knew before the race even started that it was fixed? What if you were guaranteed to win no matter the circumstances? What if the race officials came and said that YOU will be the winner. There is no way around it. No matter how fast or slow you drive, who the other racers are or what you are racing, YOU are going to win.

At that point a flat tire would be nothing more than a small annoyance because it cannot alter the outcome. If you knew you were going to win then when someone tries to run you off the road, you are free to pull over and wave as they go by. If you are guaranteed to win the race then you can slow down and enjoy the scenery rather than feel anxiety over the obstacles.

1 Peter 2:9 tells us that we are “a chosen people… a people belonging to God that we may declare His praises!”

He CHOSE us for this job.  He is going to give us everything we need to do it! (2 Peter 1:3)  When we feel like we can’t do one more day, He reminds us that we can do all things…through HIM, the one who fixed the race in the first place. (Phil. 4:13)

He knows the plans He has for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. (Jer 29:11)

2 Chronicles tells us that we just need to stay the course: it is HIS battle. We are only to do what He has called us to. The end result is in His hands! He who began a good work is sure to finish it! (Philippians 1:6)
The race is fixed! That means that we can “be anxious about nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present our requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus!” (Phil. 4:9)

If we stay the course and release the rest to the Lord, HE will take care of it all: our kids, our home, our marriages, our school!
There might be a few flat tires and detours along the way, but in the end, we are guaranteed the WIN as long as we keep our eyes on the One that fixed the race!

It will be HIS victory!

So when you feel you haven’t gotten it all done; when you feel that you are failing; when you feel like you can’t do one more day; sit back, rest and take comfort in HIS perfect peace. We can slow down and take it all in. Forget the clock, the calendar, the ‘’to do ‘’ list. We can just be, in His presence and in the presence of our children. When you walk through the valley remember: your life is ‘fixed’ and nothing can change that!

We can live, not race. We can rest, for the race has been won and the blue ribbon awaits us!