Another Mountain to Climb

Just a few weeks ago, Andy and I had the unbelievable opportunity to run the Great Wall half marathon.  One of the great things about this run is that you do not do it for time.  There is so much congestion on the wall, that there are many place you have to walk or are stopped.  And while this lessened the pressure for us as we trained, my competitive nature started to kick in leading up to the day.  I didn't really have a time that I was shooting for, but I wanted to run the race well. That no matter where we stood in the end, I wanted to feel good about how we ran this race.

A couple weeks before this race, another mountain presented itself. My dad...healthy and recently retired...was diagnosed with stage 4 brain cancer.  This has been a shock to all of us and a very unexpected mountain to climb.  The first few weeks were simply an emotional roller coaster...meetings with doctors gave us mixed signals and the distance became a huge stumbling block that I wanted to remove immediately.

We are now about 6 weeks post diagnosis and my dad is a third of the way into his treatment (6 weeks of radiation and oral chemo).  It is that crazy time of year when my head spins...kids end of the school activities (parties and awards and field trips x 4) plus my own goodbyes to friends...some for just the summer, and some for who knows? And then there is also the packing, which is extra complicated because of a staggered start (Sarah and I leave a week before everyone else) and Grace and I will be on the west coast for two weeks of YL camp.  As of now, we still don't really know where we are staying  and when...and I am leaving in four days!

In these 6 weeks, I have had a lot of time to pray and contemplate, and there are a few things that I deeply desire out of all this...1) my dad would live abundantly now, on earth, and in heaven 2) God would be glorified 3) I would run this race well

I am not in control of the circumstances, but I am in control of how I respond...and I want to be able to look back and feel good about how I ran this race.

My very dear friend introduced me to this song that has been a heart song to me these few weeks...reminding me to keep my eyes on HIM...that the waves and wind still know HIM...and that one day the mountain will be thrown into the midst of the sea.
Here is the link to the song:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNqo4Un2uZI