“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” 2 Timothy 4:7-8
To someone who has never been the athletic type or been one that sees running as much more than unnecessary punishment, this verse never really resonated with me.
Training for a 5K has definitely changed my perspective, not only on running, but my faith life in general.
Anyone who has trained for a race at all knows, you can’t get there in one day without hurting yourself. Add too much time or speed too quickly and you are bound to have an injury. By taking this approach, I have gone from not being able to run more than 2 minutes to now running 25 minutes solid. By taking the time to slowly work towards my goal of eventually running the 5K, I can see myself doing it now.
The same goes for faith.
We all strive to improve our faith lives, but it has to be done slowly. Endurance is not built up in a day and neither can faith. So be realistic in how you build your faith life. If you have never prayed the Rosary before, don’t expect to be able to start a habit of praying it every day immediately. Take the first step of learning each of the prayers, take another of learning about the mysteries, then start praying the Rosary. You will soon be taking that step every day of praying the rosary.
Instead of feeling like I should be that perfect saint right now, I now make myself remember that, just like in my running, adding a little bit at a time will help me grow so much stronger in my faith, than trying to change everything in an instant.
“Let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.” Hebrews 12:1
