| Life is a Marathon, but the Finish is Heavenly! © Betty Sue Eaton |
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| A Christian Grief Ministry |
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Life After Loss |
Life After Loss |
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| Many years ago, my husband and I and all our family made regular visits to our cabin in the foothills above St. George, Utah. We loved the peace and quiet of the remote countryside. Fishing and exploring the low mountains of the region was a favorite pastime of ours and we indulged in it each time we went to Utah. The ambient temperature was typically 10 to 15 degrees lower than that in Las Vegas where we were living at the time, and each escape to the cabin was a refreshing two-day respite from the 110-degree weather that was woefully common.
On one particular trip, a horrendous noise awoke us about 4 o’clock in the morning. We leaped out of bed trying to determine what was going on. Looking in the direction of the uproar, all we could see was a bright orange reflection in the sky, much as would be present in a forest or wildfire. We had seen some of those; and on this morning, the possibility struck terror in our hearts. Then we heard a blast from a very loud air horn and people screaming and shouting. We could understand nothing being yelled, but there seemed to be hundreds of people down on the highway just across a small gulley from the cabin. So mesmerized, we watched what was going on. Finally we determined it was a gigantic meeting of marathoners readying for the St. George 28K Marathon! The gathering began at 3 a.m., and the start of the race was at 5 a.m. sharp! So for the next hour, we were entertained with the ebb and flow of humanity gone amok! Not only would the twenty-eight miles of roads leading to St. George be filled with racers for hours, the roads themselves would be closed to automobile traffic until the runners arrived in town! And it was the only way we could get into town! However, trying to be good sports, we endured the hindrances and waited for the results to be announced. After that day, we made ourselves aware of the 28K Marathon day and planned accordingly. When you think about it, life, itself, is like a marathon. However, there is one huge difference: We begin our life-long marathon with no training for what we are about to face. There is no manual about physical or mental preparation and training for such an ordeal! We can’t be aware of the sudden changes in the terrain along our journey that might cause a shin-splint or turned ankle. A necessary move to another town, another school, another job is very much like an unexpected rise or dip in the raceway that trips us up momentarily. We never know when the weather is going to turn hostile. The worksite has an unexpected layoff and throws our lives into turmoil of uncertainty much like a tornado warning coming to pass with our home blown away. Nothing appears fixable and no one seems to care. How could we possible know about the dehydration that occurs after only a few minutes of steady running? Our spirit lags and God seems to have forgotten us when our children are threatened with catastrophic illness. Nothing can ever take the place of a child of our own flesh and blood who is taken away by disease we could not control. But the worst thing is the actual distance in steps, falls, injuries, and broken hearts that we must survive to finally make the grand finish line and take the prize for the win! We can restore our lives after a move; we can replace furniture after the havoc of a tornado. How can we ever regain stability after losing one of our children? How can we ever get back into the race of life, the marathon we are entered into the day we are born? Being a Christian helps us run our life’s marathon because we have God running with us. When we falter and say, “I can’t make it!” God says, “I will give you strength.” When we say, “It’s too hard!” God says, “My strength is sufficient.” When we say, “I’m too sad to run.” God says, “I will give you rest.” Life is exactly like the St. George 28K! The only difference is that God is running with us, leading us, supporting us, encouraging us, and in the end, awarding us the prize: Salvation and an eternal home with Him in heaven! How we run our marathon determines whether or not we cross the finish line to Heaven. The only way is by believing in God, that Jesus died for our sins and has a home waiting for us when we finish our race here on earth. We should never forget that we are running with the whole human race, and we must stop and help those who have fallen by the way, those who need a refreshing drink of water; those who need encouragement and faith in the finish. I have friends who have gone on before me who ran their race as though there were no finish line. They were always looking for those to help along the way regardless of their own loss of time at their finish. God said “When you do this for the least of these, (my children), you do it for me.” If you have lost a dear one and find that your grief has stopped your race, listen to what God tells us. He says that when we are weary, He will give us rest; when we are sad, He will give us peace that passes all understanding. When we are lonely and missing our loved ones, God says, I will never leave you. When we say we cannot manage without our loved ones, God says I will supply all your needs. Listen to Him for He promised that He would always be there, and He will hear your heart cries even before you utter them. I know He will because He promised, and He never forgets a promise to one of His own. God bless you in your grief. ~ Betty |