Christ in the Marathon

Friday began really, really well.

I didn't feel rushed getting ready for work, and it was a casual dress day, so I was super comfy in my jeans and tennis shoes. I ran into my mentor teacher on the way inside and bounced an idea off her that I'd had for a while, but hadn't acted upon. She loved the idea and said she'd talk to some others to see if it could work. I sat down at my computer, immediately found the links I needed for a lesson, and downloaded their content without a problem. Even my classroom iPod synced in record time.

I saw my new bulletin board display out of the corner of my eye. (Check it out here.) "Today is off to a great start -- clearly, this is all from Christ!" I put on some tunes from Steve Angrisano and got pumped up to start what I call my "marathon day" -- a full day with 9 classes (only 2 are repeats of earlier lessons) that include age levels from K-8. (If you're a teacher, you know how difficult it can be to switch gears for different age groups throughout the day!)

By the end of the day, I was exhausted, mentally and physically. (Actually, I was ready for a break after 4th period. By the end of the day, I was completely wiped out.) I first thought about how far I felt from my early morning excitement to begin the day... and then I saw Christ again, in the marathon of my day. Even simply looking at the layout of my day, without even considering the details, I can see Him.

This is training.

I often tell people that I am NOT a runner. "I would love to love to run. But I don't... I hate to run." I often decide to go for a run (ok, it's actually a really slow jog) and then end up giving up and walking. It doesn't matter how much I pump myself up for the run, I am rarely able to finish my planned route, no matter how short it may seem.

And so, to show me that I CAN DO IT (Philippians 4:13, anyone?), Christ gave me a "marathon" every week. And guess what? I DO IT. Yes, it's hard. Yes, I'm exhausted afterwards. I go home on Friday evening and crash. But I do it.

And guess what? I actually went for a run yesterday. (Ok, slow jog.) But I didn't stop the second I got tired. I tried to, multiple times. But my jogging buddy boyfriend wouldn't let me walk until I'd pushed myself to my limit. Did I glare at him? Yes. Did I complain? Yes. But you know what? I ran longer than I thought possible, longer than I have in probably a decade, and I survived. And I will probably do it again, because I know it's good for me.

"Christ never said it would be easy, only that it would be worth it." I don't know who said that, but it's true... and I'm blessed to have people in my life who don't give me the option of quitting when things get tough. Whether it's my principal having faith that I can still be a decent teacher at the end of a marathon day of teaching, or my boyfriend having confidence in my ability to take longer strides when I run, I know it's actually Christ pushing me to dig a little deeper, to give a little more.

He gave it all... what makes me think I can stop early?


I'm training for this marathon, and I'm finding beauty in its difficulty.

Where have you seen Christ today?

I work in a Catholic school. I attend Mass multiple times each week. I'm part of a Catholic lay movement. Most of my friends are Catholic. (I think I've been to 3 non-Catholic weddings - EVER.) Last year, I did a 24-week Catholic Bible Study led by a well-known Catholic apologist.

I have all the tools I could possibly need. And yet, sometimes I realize I've only been going through the motions, despite all of the witnesses around me. (I call this "Southern Kingdom Syndrome" -- see, I really did learn a lot from the Bible Study!)

I know Christ is present in every moment of my day, in every trial and circumstance, in every joy and celebration. But more often than not, I don't see Him in the moment. Usually, I realize it later on - maybe that evening when I'm going to bed and reflecting on the day, or the next week when I realize what a gift that moment truly was. But I want to see HIM, here and now, in the moment. I want to have that awareness, that faith lived out.

So I did what any teacher would do: I made a bulletin board in my classroom. (Well, all my actual boards were full, so I put it on the wall.)

I took this picture with my phone. It's not a smartphone. Don't judge, you get the idea.

Sure, it might not be the best quality of display... it is, in fact, aluminum foil wrapped around cardstock and sent through the laminator. But it's the reminder I need to look for Him. Because I know He's there, and I miss Him because I'm not paying attention.
 
So, I've decided to re-start this blog and give it a slightly new direction: quick, (hopefully) frequent posts about where I've seen Him today. Feel free to post comments about where YOU have seen Him in your life today, too!

Because HE is the true Beauty along the road -- wherever we are!