Run Your Own Race

I’ve been inspired by a seventh-grade girl. She’s a runner, so of course, I’m a fan.

Her mom has been keeping me in the loop on her cross-country season, and it’s been fun to hear how she’s doing. She was placed on the varsity team this year, and it didn’t take long to see that this girl was born to run. She was cutting time off her races and setting personal records (PRs), but she wasn’t quite running her own race. She was following a teammate.

This week, she broke away from the pack. At mile two, she decided to run her own race, and once again, she nailed a PR.

Her story made me think about how I do the same thing in my own life. I compare how clean I keep my house to someone else’s, how I parent my kids, and how much I manage to get done in a day. It’s easy to look at what someone else is doing and start wondering if I should be doing more or doing things differently. Before I know it, I’m trying to keep up with someone else’s expectations instead of paying attention to what God has put in front of me. And it’s exhausting.

Running has been a big part of my life, but it’s been on hold as I’ve recovered from over a year of foot complications. The last few months, I’ve slowly been rebuilding my mileage. I have goals for where I want to go with running, and I’m looking forward to working toward them. I also know that I can make my plans, but God is the one who determines my steps.

In their hearts humans plan their course,

but the LORD establishes their steps.

Proverbs 16:9

I have an idea of what I want my running to look like, but after a year of dealing with my right foot, I’ve had to accept that I can’t force the timeline. I can put in the work and make plans for what I want to accomplish, but I don’t get to decide exactly how or when it all comes together. That’s true in other areas of my life, too, and I’m still learning to be okay with it.

I don’t want to spend so much time looking at what someone else is doing that I lose sight of what God has put in front of me. I can make plans for where I want to go, but I need to trust Him with the steps in between.

I think that seventh grader is onto something. It’s time to stop following someone else’s lead and run your own race.

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About Make Monday Matter

Make Monday Matter is my weekly Christian devotional where I share reflections on faith, running, and the small ways God shows up in everyday life.