Don't Assume Anything

The other day I was feeling adventurous or possibly crazy and decided to go for a run early in the morning. I was so excited I laid out all my clothes for the next day, and put a bottle of water cooling in the fridge for refreshment. I even decided I was going to do my daily devotionals out by the lake after I was done, so I got all of those necessities ready as well.

Once I got there I planned it all out, I was pumped, I would stretch for a while then I would make a few loops around the outside of the park, then a couple on the inside circle. Once I was done planning I was off, running like the wind, still feeling excited with the cool air entering my lungs, and listening to the rhythm of my feet against the pavement. Then the first big hill came into sight, so I prepared myself repeating things like, “You can do this, no problem at all.” However, it was a problem, my legs were feeling like jello, I was breathing like I had emphysema, and I was getting sick to my stomach. So I decided, it was no big deal I would walk up this first big hill no problem as long as I’m moving that’s all that matters. Once at the top of the hill I was rejuvenated and decided to take to running again, and so here I was again with the cool air in my lungs and the lovely rhythm of my feet. I was fine, it was all downhill and I could actually do this, that is until I saw it, the next big hill. I gave myself another pep talk trying to tell myself it wasn’t going to be like last time, I was going to beat this hill. I was halfway up the hill when the nice cool air started to not be enough for me to breathe, and the rhythm of my feet started sounding more like war drums than music to my ears. After cycle repeated itself a few times I finally made it back to my car, completing only about one full lap around the park, slightly less than anticipated. Worse, I didn’t even make it to my devotionals since my stomach did not stop churning until hours later; the whole adventure seemed to be a bust.

When I got home that day I decided I would never run again. However when I look back at it, I can see just how much that run symbolizes so much of my life. Every time I face a struggle I get pumped I am convinced that I can do it all by myself, and that I will do it perfect the first time I try. Then when I fail to do it perfectly the first time, because really who does, I get discouraged and give up or try to ignore this problem altogether.

The truth is I need to learn to fail, to fall flat on my face, then get back up and try it again. This failing business can be hard, but I have learned that when God is teaching you something it can be necessary and essential to learning. It was said well in one of my favorite movies Meet the Robinsons, “From failure we learn, from success not so much.”