Today's reading's can be found at USCCB
You need endurance to do the will of God and receive what he has promised.
For, after just a brief moment,
he who is to come shall come;
he shall not delay.
But my just one shall live by faith,
and if he draws back I take no pleasure in him.
he who is to come shall come;
he shall not delay.
But my just one shall live by faith,
and if he draws back I take no pleasure in him.
We are not among those who draw back and perish,
but among those who have faith and will possess life.
but among those who have faith and will possess life.
Heb 10:36-39
Last February I ran a half marathon. I ran the whole thing!!! That was my only goal, to run the entire way. It was hard, but I knew that if I began to walk even for a second, I wouldn't make it to the end. My mind and body would not be able to pick up the momentum again. I did it though:) I gave it everything I had, mile after mile I just ran. I was in a sea of people doing the same, everyone was cheering each other on, smiling when they could muster the energy, and even vocally encouraging those people who passed them. At the end of the race, I cried, just to see the finish line, my body hurt so much.
Why did I make my body do this? Earlier that year I had given birth to my son Liam, he was so perfect:) He is cuddling with me as I write this, I love my son. I couldn't believe that God had given me such a little angel boy. A few weeks after he was born he began to have seizures, it was so hard to watch my child go through this. His eyes would lock into place and he would begin convulsing, it wouldn't let up for two whole minutes, it seemed like an eternity. The doctors would up his medication, then I wouldn't see my son smile for about a week and a half. When I would finally see a smile, it broke my heart, because a few days or hours later he would have another seizure, and the process would begin again. I felt powerless to help my son, my heart just hurt, I wanted to curl up in a ball and commit myself to bed, never having to face the world again. This had come after a long hard pregnancy, and I had a 16 month old as well. I felt sorry for myself, I couldn't understand why God had given me these struggles. I needed something to have control over, so I began training for this half marathon when we were in the hardest part of Liam's seizures, when he was three months old. I could control how much pain my body felt, and it was my decision to put myself through the pain, that is what running offered me. And through it I was able to handle what was going on in my life.
I ran that half marathon last year, on February 7th, my husband and my third anniversary. When we got married we were so excited, and couldn't wait to begin our vocation as parents. We knew it would be hard work, and take sacrifice, but we just couldn't wait. Here it was three years after our wedding day, we had two children, and had gone through so much medically and spiritually, and were celebrating with a marathon. A race of endurance. I am still madly in love with my husband and now we have a third child, who also has seizures. It is hard work, but I know that God has blessed me, and I will continue in the daily work, the daily heart aches, and the daily joys, this is Life, and I love it. Hopefully my struggles and my endurance will help someone else keep up the race. We can not see the finish line, but Jesus is encouraging us every day, He is our Hope and our purpose. The end goal is to be with Him, in everlasting joy and Peace, and we have been promised this, because of our baptism. But we must continue the work, today's scripture is a call to muster up every piece of energy and continue the work, to be not " among those who draw back and perish,
but among those who have faith and will possess life." Choose today to take up your cross and follow Christ, no matter how hard, let people see your hope and your commitment.
but among those who have faith and will possess life." Choose today to take up your cross and follow Christ, no matter how hard, let people see your hope and your commitment.
Jesus, bless all the moms today who do your work, help their work bear fruit, and their actions of love to grow a hundred fold in the hearts of their children, their husbands, and all those they serve. Amen
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