Currahee cheers

Life is definitely not a cake walk.

There are moments we face that prove to be sometimes more than we ever thought we could handle. But it's in those moments that we can also develop and discover our true characters.

I got to see one of those instances in the lives of some of my runners this morning.

I coach both cross country and track, and they are definitely two extremes. My group of sprinters struggles with the offseason workouts, and today was no exception. There is a hill at our school (known as the Currahee Hill) that many students have come to fear. When you run this hill, you have to go around each tree—up and down, up and down, up and down…you get the picture. Well, let's just say that the tree line is quite extensive, so it's a daunting task for many of the athletes. My cross country runners have to do multiple Currahees on our hill workouts, but one is certainly enough for most of the sports.

The ultimate encouragers

So today in track I had my athletes run one Currahee, and it was a pretty big struggle for quite a few of them. I started to get frustrated when I saw some walking going on, but then something happened that truly warmed my heart. There was one girl in the back who was having a really, really hard time finishing this workout. I kept trying to encourage her, but I can only say so much—she's the one who actually has to do the work, and it looked like she was about to give up entirely.

Until something beautiful happened.

When she had about eight trees to go, one of the other girls who had already finished started running with her to offer extra encouragement. On the next tree, another joined. Then another. And another. By the time she made it to the last tree, a total of nine girls were running up that hill, and two of the girls had their hands on the back of the girl who was struggling so much, as they were literally pushing her to the top. What was even more refreshing was the fact that I hadn't told them to do this at all—it was all on their own accord that they stepped up to help their teammate, a girl some of them don't even know very well yet.

When she was finished, she gave me a hug and said, "Thank you. Thank you so much, Coach Merrill, for not giving up on me."

This journey is not easy, and there are going to be more times than we'd like when we find ourselves facing our own Currahee challenges. But it doesn't always have to be such a painful endeavor, especially when we have people there to cheer us on and help us to the finish. God places certain people in our lives at the exact moments when we need them to be our Currahee cheerleaders.

Life may not be a cakewalk, but it's definitely an adventure better lived with others right alongside you.

In the words of the great High School Musical, "We're all in this together."

Let it be

Even the smallest decisions we make in life can have bigger impacts than we thought they would.

And sometimes they change others' lives, as well.

About a year ago, I was in my second-to-last semester of grad school and taking classes a couple of nights a week. At the end of the semester, one of my classes got out super early on our very last meeting. There was a guy in that class who had talked Rangers and football with me a lot each week, and he asked me if I wanted to go hang out that night. Then he added that he wanted to get to know me better, because he thought we had a lot in common and were placed in the same class by Cupid's fate.

Umm, no.

I declined. He seemed nice enough, but I wasn't interested in him, and I figured it was silly to waste either of our time. There was nothing Cupid-related between us. At all.

This picture has very little relevance.

I didn't see him after that, and I can't say I was disappointed when we didn't have any classes together in my final semester in the spring. I honestly never even thought of that situation anymore until the other day when I received an email from the guy. He was basically thanking me for turning him down, because that night he went to meet his friends at a bar, instead, and he ended up meeting the girl of his dreams there, as well. He just recently proposed, and they are getting married in the spring. He dropped some truth in his little note: "If I had been hanging out with you, I might not have met the most amazing woman ever to walk the earth."

You're welcome?

It made me start to think about a lot of decisions I've made—whether big or small—and how things might be different right now if I had gone other directions. Where would I be if I had just stayed at A&M all four years of college? What would have happened if I had continued my career in sports reporting? How different would running and group of friends be if I had never started running with some of those crazies in Dallas? Why did I choose the blueberry bagel over the cinnamon sugar last Friday?

Some of life's mysteries we will never know.

And then I had to stop thinking about these things, because I know they all happened for some special purpose. It's silly to sit there and ponder how my life would be different, because it's never going to be that way. It is the way it is for a reason, because that's how God intended it to be. I didn't hang out with Cupid-loving-grad-class guy, because I was not supposed to, and he was clearly meant to end up with someone else.

Life is full of decisions. Some of them seem monumental; some of them seem itsy-bitsy. Yet, all of them impact our lives—and sometimes those of others—more than we'll ever know. Sure, we might not always like our decisions, and we could often regret many of them, but they all led us to where we are. We wouldn't be the people we are without the choices we make on a daily basis.

So, instead of harping on choices you've made in the past, just embrace the notion that you're being molded into the person you're supposed to be.

Hidden treasures

You can't always believe everything people tell you.

Especially when it's really just an opinion, anyway.

I don't often hear people say many positive things about Waco, Texas. Sure, the Baylor faithful take pride in their school, but when it comes to the actual town, the general consensus is that "there is nothing to do."

False.

My friend Wendy and I really didn't have much going on today, so we decided it would be in our best interest to make the drive down I-35 to Waco. We were on a double mission: eat at Fazoli's and make a music video. I'm very happy to say that we were successful on both accounts, and I'm even more thrilled to say that people are very wrong about Waco—there is SO much to do there.

After we ate at breadstick heaven—so worth the trip after being deprived for about seven years—we drove to the Baylor campus, which is actually quite lovely. We just happened to pull into a parking lot right in front of a live bear display, so you can bet that we shot some of our music video in front of those cages. I mean, why would you not have a bear in the background of something that will likely be up for a VMA next year?

Go find a bear.

We also sought out the RG3 Heisman trophy and found it inside the locked athletics building. While this was a rather big letdown, Wendy was able to get a pretty legit picture through the glass doors. It almost looks like we were inside the building. We still think there should be a bigger statue of him somewhere outside where people can take pictures with him. I don't want to say it ruined our music video any, but it did hurt it a little. I hope Baylor officials take this into consideration.

I can't give many more details, because the music video has yet to be released (plus, I haven't even edited it yet), but I will say that we sang and danced with caged animals, on campus, on a bridge over the Brazos, in front of some buildings in what we guessed was downtown, and in local retail stores. We even hit up some swanky little coffee shop that had a taco truck right next to it after we bugged our friend Andrew who had to work in Waco for the day.

In the past, I only stopped in Waco for restroom breaks on road trips to College Station or Austin. But I must say I now have a new appreciation for this place.

So many times in life, we get the wrong impression of people or things simply because we don't take the time to get to know them. As trite as it is to say, you really shouldn't judge a book by its cover, because you don't exactly know what adventures opening it will bring to your life. God created everything for a purpose, but sometimes you just have to peel back the layers to discover the true beauty underneath the surface.

Life only happens once, and it seems silly not to find the positives in as much as you can. Things, people, and under-appreciated towns aren't always going to seem perfect, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy them.

And who doesn't love a little joy?

Construction zones

I feel like the highways in the area are in perpetual states of construction.

And, to be honest, that's a pretty accurate description of all of us, as well.

Road construction can be so frustrating, because it often causes major delays and traffic buildups. A lot of people are pretty time urgent and like to think the rest of the world should be operating on their schedules, so you can imagine the thoughts we have and actions we take when faced with these construction zones. After all, most of us are probably guilty of being, well, not the greatest of people when we spot those daunting orange signs.

And then come the detours.

Welcome to the fun zone.

I don't like detours. I have a hard enough time trying to navigate my way to places on normal paths, and my maps app doesn't really know when detours are going to throw curve balls into the plans laid out before me. Changing up routes just adds more time and frustration to already disliked situations.

What's even worse about road construction and all that ensues from it is that there is really nothing you can do about it. You're helpless. Maybe that's one reason why people honk so much and yell things behind their closed doors and rolled-up windows: it puts just a little bit of power back into their hands.

The truth is, though, is that we live a good portion of our lives in construction zones. God is constantly working on our hearts and changing us. We face so many detours that there is no way Google Maps, Yahoo! Maps or any other mapping service could possibly give you a route that makes sense. He's the only One who knows what it is, and—just like when you're sitting in a never-ending line of cars suffering through what seems like a giant parking lot of cars traveling at 7 mph—all you can do is wait.

Recently, some of the construction that was going on near where I live finally finished, and roads opened up. As expected, it made things so much better. I'd like to think that a lot more people are smiling while their driving now, instead of secretly cursing the cars in front of them that didn't speed up through those yellow lights.

That's the hope we can have: with all of the construction occurring in us and all around our lives, better things are on the way. We are being perfected by the moment, and God's going to make sure that we become the best we can be.

It's not always fun to go through the work, alternate routes and traffic jams to get there, but it's definitely worth it.

As the pages turn

I used to read the last page of books first, but I've learned the unknown is often better for us.

Sometimes you just have to take things chapter by chapter.

One thing that's so great about ending the chapter in a book is that it often ends in suspense and leaves you wanting to continue on reading to the next one. And, even though the ensuing chapter tends to pick up where the last one left off, it also starts something new and different—hence the need for progressing through the numbers.

However, there are some novels that kind of skip around a bit, and the following chapter doesn't seem to relate much to the one before it. Those are also interesting to read, though, because somehow or another it ends up intertwining with the previous chapters to make one big story.

And I love stories.

Keep reading.

We each have our own stories in life, and we are constantly going through different chapters. Some of them continue on from the ones before them, while others seem to take on their own novel lives all at once, and we find ourselves standing like deer in headlights with no idea of what is about to hit us.

But that's what makes these chapters so great, because each turn of the page is completely unpredictable.

Today was the last day of my summer, and I guess you could call it bittersweet. Sure, I will definitely miss the days of reading in my pool and having an enormous amount of free time, but I'm also excited to take on this new year and new chapter. Each school year is different, because I'm blessed (even though sometimes I might want to use the word "cursed") with so many incredible students. One of my goals in life is always to find the good in people, even when they seem unlikeable, and I do the same with my students. I have no idea what this school year will bring, but I do know that I'm going to find something good about every single day of it.

God doesn't make things happen in our lives without purpose, and He's the genius behind each of our novels. Each chapter he takes us into is full of mystery, and I think it's a good thing that we don't know how these stories are going to end or even what the next page will hold. He's the only one who needs to know that.

I have no idea what the last page of my novel says. In fact, I'm pretty clueless as to what the last page of this next chapter holds. Or the first page, for that matter.

But I can't wait to turn the page and find out.

It's about time

I love people.

Life is not meant to be lived alone, and I think that's quite obvious by the enormous amount of people who make up the population of the entire world. I realize huge crowds full of random strangers can often be frustrating (such as traffic, overcrowded concerts, and malls during the holidays), but that's because we don't actually take the time to get to know those people. All we know is that we have agendas, and they aren't part of them.

And that's sad.

There was a time in college where I somewhat isolated myself from a lot of people, and I can tell you right now that doing so is not a good idea by any means. It's so much better when you have others in your life there to walk with you in both times of goodness and darkness and to offer you encouragement when the storms just seem to keep pouring down on you. Even now, I live so far away from most of my friends and family, but I've been making greater efforts to make sure I spend as much time with them as I can, because every minute on this earth is precious. We don't know how much time we have left here, and I want my time to be worth every second.

And spending time with others spreads love that needs to be shared.

Share time and love.

When we're with people, it's definitely a lot easier to show them God's love than when we're apart. God has called us to love others. The good Word says in 1 Peter 4:8, "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins." I think those first two words are so significant: Above all. How can we truly love people deeply if we aren't spending time with them? Jesus loved the world so much that He died for all of its sin, and He spent time with these same sinners before He was nailed to the cross. And He wants us to spend time with Him, too.

My dear friend Michelle says, "You make time for the things you want to make time for," and that's truth. Sure, we have limited hours in the day, but there are sacrifices that can be made to be able to go grab a cup of coffee or some froyo with those who really might just need your presence in their lives. You never know just how much of an impact you can have on another by offering a lending ear to a friend who needs to talk, a word of encouragement for a friend in need of a wise heart, or a hug for a sister who just needs to be held for a few minutes. The truth is that every single person in this world matters. No, you can't touch or change the lives of all of them, but you sure can impact those around you who might need you the most.

And all you have to give them is a little bit of your time.

God loves us and died for us. There's no reason why we shouldn't die to ourselves a little bit to spread that love to others. This world is full of so much hate and selfishness, but spending time with others in the name of love can overpower that. Love will always win.

And it's about time we start proving that.

Melted perfection

Even something seemingly imperfect can actually be perfection to someone.

I ran a 5K this morning and was pretty excited after I finished about the Fla-Vor-Ice I knew would be at one of the tents. I mean, what's not to love about frozen goodness in the form of sugar and artificial flavoring in a variety of colors? Exactly—nothing.

When I finally located them, my excitement soared. Now, I know after a run in the heat we experience here in the greatest state in the country that water is actually the preferred source of hydration one should use. I think I grabbed a cup after I finished (though most of it I poured on me rather than in me), but I just can't pass up the opportunity to savor some Fla-Vor-Ice. Simply put, it's frozen goodness.

Even when it's not frozen.

Yummy, melted or frozen!

When I arrived at the tent, Justin, the friendly RunOn! employee, informed me that, yes, he had the treats, but they were not actually frozen. They were just in the liquid state. I looked down at the ice chest and saw them and suddenly really didn't care.

"Could I have a pink one, please?"

You know, that ice pop in a tube might not have been icy, but it still did the trick. I was glad to be able to enjoy the high fructose corn syrup and whatever else is in there. It was melted, but to me it was still wonderful.

There are times in life where we become like these unfrozen ice pops—we aren't exactly in the state we are supposed to be, but that doesn't mean we are completely hopeless. God can certainly still use us even though we are far from perfect. The beauty is that He will make us perfect. If He needs us to be solid and frozen, He will get us there. But, if He needs to use us when we feel totally melted, He will.

Because, to Him, even when we are melted, we are still beautiful to Him.

Obviously life will not always go the way we would like. We can't always have frozen Fla-Vor-Ice. We aren't going to be as perfect as we'd like. But the good news is that God doesn't need us to be perfect in order to serve Him and show His unending love to others. Just like an imperfect ice pop, the flavor is still there, and He will always be there with us every step of the way.

Come just as you are—whether melted, frozen, broken, or well put-together—and He will love and embrace you all the same.