Running Weary

It was the day of the annual 5K to support our local crisis pregnancy center.
Each participant can choose whether they want to walk or run.
My oldest daughter chose to run.
My daughter and her husband also chose to run and this year their little daughter joined them.

I watched my son-in-love push his precious daughter in their running stroller.
He was prepared.
If she needed a bottle, he had one tucked in the side of the stroller.
I will just run and feed her, he said demonstrating how he might do that.

She was enthralled with the trees that lined the park where we began.
She was enthralled with the people who were all around her.
She was enthralled with her own toes that moved about as she watched.
Almost four months old, she is discovering that those wiggling toes actually belong to her.

The runners lined up at the starting line first.
The race began.
The clock began to mark the time.
The walkers were behind the runners.

We walked along a lovely trail that runs along the Brandywine River.
There were markers along the way so we could see our progress.
At this point in the race, everyone was going the same way.
The wide trail accommodated all of us quite well.

I was walking and talking with people I knew.
The walkers are not really competing for time.
Some of the runners care about their time and their speed.
We teased my son-in-love a bit, since the stroller actually crossed the finish line first.

I saw so many children with their parents.
Many were in strollers.
Some were walking, slowly but with determination.
They were motivated to walk with their parents and keep up with them.

I saw one little boy walking, wearing a Spider Man mask.
I saw some little children with sneakers that lit up as they walked.
I saw some children more interested in a fascinating bug they saw along the trail.
I saw some children with sticks that became whatever their imagination could dream up.

It was one father and son that caught my eye.
I remember seeing them at the start of the race.
The little boy was so excited to be walking next to his daddy.
The father was beginning a gentle jog; his little boy ran beside him.

Fire police stopped traffic so we could safely cross the street.
We were all still traveling in one direction.
Soon, the trail became a two way street.
Runners were beginning to run back towards the starting line.

I saw my son-in-love pass me with my precious granddaughter asleep in the stroller.
Minutes later, I saw one daughter, then another.
The runners were returning to where they began.
The walkers were still walking with a little farther to go.

The same father and son that I saw at the beginning, passed me on the trail.
The little boy was not running excitedly beside his daddy.
The little boy was tired.
His daddy was carrying him on his shoulders and still running the race.

The little boy’s daddy had his arms in the air holding his son steady on his shoulders.
The little boy was thrilled to be up so high.
The little boy was not afraid.
His daddy was holding him.

Yes, the Sovereign LORD is coming in power. He will rule with a powerful arm. See, he brings his reward with him as he comes.  He will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in his arms, holding them close to his heart. He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young. (Isaiah 40:10,11)

We are running a race.
We are often enthralled at the beauty of the world around us.
We see God’s creation.
We meet many people as we journey.

The road is long.
We get tired.
The enthusiasm with which we began starts to fade.
We need some help to press on.

Other runners pass us along the way.
We are still walking and they are running in the other direction.
Some begin the race with vim and vigor only to be exhausted much too quickly.
Others begin the race a bit slower, keeping a steady pace, running with endurance.

All of us need a little help from time to time.
Daddy, we call.
And He answers.
Our Abba Father answers us.

He puts us on His shoulders.
He carries us in His arms.
We are His reward and we come with Him.
He will not leave us alone, tired and weary on the road.

The little boy’s daddy was a picture of our Heavenly Father.
We are running the race.
We do not run it alone.
When we are tired and weary, all we need to do is call out to Him.

Abba, Daddy.
And He is there.
He is always there.
Even before we call, He answers.