Finish each lap

The world can be a lonely place—but only if you let it be.

I do most of my running by myself, and it's sometimes tough to be able to hit the paces I need on harder workouts without others there to push me. I find that running with others helps me go faster. That's one reason my Sunday long runs with my friends never really seem as long as they are—I have people right alongside me, which is encouraging, and they are all such enjoyable company that it's a blast in the process.

But there are times when going solo on something is a beatdown.

Take your mark.

I was at a middle school track the other day, and a dad brought his two sons out for a little family practice session. The older boy, a 13-year-old, seemed pretty serious with his warmup drills and told me he competed for a club team. His 7-year-old-brother, however, was likely just out there because his older brother was. He didn't seem to be too enthused about anything to do with running.

In fact, he was avoiding it until his dad finally sternly told him to run a warmup lap.

Little Jace took off pounding his feet in an almost full-out sprint. Then I heard his dad yell, "Boy, you've only run a 100!" I looked up to see Jace already walking with his hands interlaced on the back of his head like he had just run a really difficult race. His dad started his own lap and caught up to him, making Jace start running again, as well. When he had his father right there with him, little Jace didn't seem to struggle at all and even finished his lap with a precious smile on his face. It was contagious, and I couldn't help but chuckle a little, too.

His dad kept running and said as he started his next lap, "I'm going to run another, and then you're going to join me again. We'll go together."

Jace took a deep breath and then said, "Ok, daddy, but you have to stay with me the whole time!"

And that's just what his father did.

Life can feel defeating when you're all alone and trying to tackle each curve or straightaway that you face. Often we feel like giving up or walking when we're supposed to be running. But it's important to remember that we have a Father who will run every step of the way with us or simply carry us when it feels like we can't go one extra lap. And when we see that we have another intimidating task ahead of us, He's there to say, "We'll go together."

And He will stay with us the entire time.

It doesn't matter if we take off too fast; it doesn't matter if we veer off the path or out of our lanes; it doesn't matter if the wind seems too powerful and like we are always going against it as it's constantly pushing us back; it doesn't matter if the distance seems way too daunting for us to finish. What matters is that we are not alone, and there's strength within us all that we sometimes don't even acknowledge we have. But, when we do, that homestretch feels so much more significant.

And, when you finish your lap, just think how contagious that precious smile on your face will be.