Finishing Strong in the Marathon That Counts
I have a friend from church who is a great mom. You often see her and her three stair step boys tooling around the parish, the school, Kids for Jesus, or the baseball field. Recently, I saw her after mass. Someone had told me she just completed her first marathon in Chicago, so I asked her how it went.
“Well….it went okay.”
I could sense the disappointment in her voice, “What do you mean?”
She went on to say that she had finished the race, but fell very far short from the time she had hoped to have. She said it was a challenge to find time to run the kind of distances she needed to run, and she often cut her training times short because of kids’ activities. She said she didn’t feel as prepared going into the race as she wanted to be. I could tell that my friend was not complaining, but just disappointed with the outcome.
I could relate. I was finding the same struggle in consistently working out the recommended time for training for my Triathlon Cup Series this year (link to 1st triathlon blog).
At times like these, it is always important to ask, “What race are you really running?” We are all in an individual marathon that really matters. This marathon will determine whether we spend the rest of our eternity with God and loving people or not.
The real marathon of our life is won by doing the little things right in all of our relationships to the best of our ability. Being a parent and having the honor of shaping a soul for eternity is one of the most important vocations we could have.
The beauty of motherhood, whether it be biological motherhood, spiritual motherhood, or both is that the choices it demands purify us. One of the important lessons it teaches is for us not to get bogged down in perfectionism. At the same time, it does not give us an excuse not to reach for the stars.
So, ladies, let’s all finish strong in the marathon that really counts.
Catholic Women’s Guide to Healthy Relationship Tip: Make a goal that will challenge you and pursue it light of your vocation.
