Opening Scripture:
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” – Philippians 4:13
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There was a time in my life when someone told me who I was.
“You’re not a runner, Hope.”
It wasn’t mean. It wasn’t even serious. But it stuck.
And the truth is, at that time, it was accurate. I wasn’t fast. Running wasn’t my thing.
But here’s what’s also true about me.
When I was about 10 years old, my dad bet me five dollars that I couldn’t do 1,000 sit-ups. I had never done anything like that before. But something in me locked in. And I did it.
That spirit has always lived in me.
So when I heard, “You’re not a runner,” something in me responded almost immediately.
The very next day, I went out and ran five miles.
I came home and asked a friend if you could die from running five miles. She said no. And that was enough for me to keep going.
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Over time, something shifted.
I learned how to run. I trained. I got better.
5Ks turned into 10Ks. 10Ks turned into half marathons. And somewhere along the way, I stopped being “not a runner.”
But even then, I had no desire to run a marathon. 26.2 miles felt like something for other people.
Until one day, I said yes.
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I trained for months. Long runs that took hours. Early mornings. Time away from my family. It stretched me in every way.
And just when I was almost there, five days before the race, I got injured.
Not a small injury. The kind that drops you. The kind that makes walking feel uncertain, let alone running 26.2 miles.
By the night before the race, I could barely walk. I was in a hotel surrounded by runners who felt ready, and I felt completely out of place. Unprepared. Discouraged. Honestly, defeated.
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But I prayed.
Not perfectly. Just honestly.
God, if I can walk out that door in the morning, I’ll run.
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The next morning, nothing had changed. I was still limping.
But something told me to keep going anyway.
So I did.
I limped to the door. Step by step. No certainty. Just faith.
And when I crossed the threshold, something shifted.
I don’t know how to explain it in a way that makes sense logically, but I know what I felt. It was like strength met me there. Like something I didn’t have on my own was suddenly available to me.
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I walked. I lined up. And then I ran.
For miles, I felt incredible. Like I was being carried.
Until mile 18.
And my leg gave out again.
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But this time, I didn’t panic the same way.
Because I had already seen what God could do.
So I got help. I prayed again. And I made a decision: one mile at a time. Grateful and moving.
When my sister called to say she was at the finish line, I knew I was going to get there. Not because it was easy, but because I wasn’t doing it alone.
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And I finished.
26.2 miles.
A non-runner crossed a line she once believed didn’t belong to her.
And I know this:
That wasn’t just me.
That was God meeting me at the threshold. God in the strength. God in the setback. God at the finish line.
Sometimes God doesn’t remove the obstacle. He meets you in it and carries you through.
And sometimes… He uses the very thing someone said you weren’t
to show you exactly who you are becoming.
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Reflection
What have you been told you’re “not”… that you might need to test for yourself?
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Prayer
God, meet me in the places where I feel limited, labeled, or unsure. Give me the courage to move anyway. And remind me that with You, I am capable of more than I’ve believed. Amen.
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