Run Your Race

I ran my first 5K one month ago. I finished the race and realized it was something I enjoyed and wanted to do again.

I was surprised how well I ran. I hadn't prepared at all. I literally woke up and ran the race. It made me proud but it also made me think, how much better would my time be if I actually prepared for the race?

So I started training.

I'd run inside and outside. I even downloaded an App to track my time. I also checked in with myself as I ran - my breathing, my pace, and most importantly I encouraged myself to finish strong.

But there was something I had to work on.

I would run for a while and then I'd stop running and walk. I'd walk for a long time y'all and walking would destroy my time.

Taking the break was good. The only problem was I was taking too long of a break.

Once I realized this, I started taking shorter breaks and before I ran my second 5K, I was finishing within a minute of the goal I set.

On the day of the race I was sure there would be plenty of folks who'd have better times than I had. After all, some folks were seasoned runners but through it all, I learned I had to run my own race.

In dating and relationships you have to run your own race. That means deciding who and when, deciding how and why....settling on a goal and striving to reach it.

It's easy to look to the left and to the right and see folks who look like they're ahead.....and sometimes they are but if you get nothing else from this post, please remember that it's your race.

You decide how you'll run it. You decide what the checkpoints are. You decide what the goal is.

When it comes to celibacy, you have to be sure it's what you want to do/what you're striving for and operate in that. If you're waiting until marriage, you have to make sure you're working towards that goal.

But let's be clear, the celibacy journey isn't about sex. It's not even about marriage. It's about getting close enough to God so you can hear His voice. Close enough so you can follow Him. It's about obedience.

I've been on this single, celibacy journey for a while. I've watched almost all of my friends get married and have kids. For a long time I felt like they were out pacing me and I'd never catch up. Then, (years into this journey) I realized I was running my own race.

We can't compare our lives or our race to our friends. It's just not the same. Trust me when I say, if you spend your life running someone else's race or looking to your left or right while you run yours, you'll lose.

God has a path for you. His Word says it. You just have to believe it!

So run your race and finish strong!  Don't worry about what everyone else is doing. It's you against you. It's your race and with God, you can win!

Happy Waiting!