Julie finishing half marathon

Last weekend, our family went to go watch my wife, Julie, run in a half marathon in downtown Minneapolis.  Julie is training to run in her second Twin Cities Marathon in October. She ran the last one 10 years ago, and she is making sure she is more prepared this time around. She has already run in many 5Ks, a 7K, and some 10Ks.  Her goal is to keep her knees strong and healthy and improve from her last marathon time.  The hour was early and the weather clear and warm when we arrived.  She was prepared, healthy, and ready to run.  As she left the starting line, her bright smile indicated that all systems were go.  Her goal was to finish between 2:15 and 2:30.  Me and the girls funneled down close to the finish line shortly before the 2-hour mark to watch her come in.  The 2:15 mark came and went, as did the 2:30 mark.  At 2:39, she crossed the finished line.  She finished!  It wasn’t in the time frame that she wanted, but we were still very proud of her.  So many battles are fought while running, and it is a test of your mental and physical fortitude.  Well, Julie was not happy.  For the rest of the day, she was in a bad mood.  Disappointment took its toll.

Today, when I ventured out into the garden, I was putting some finishing touches on some long overdue chores.  I made nine tomato cages out of concrete mesh and had put them around the tomatoes three weeks ago.  They needed staking, and I was finally getting around to that today.  As I was out there, I was noticing all the weeds.  I was thinking that I need to get out here more and do a better job of staying on top of it.   This year, I had made a concerted effort to not let the weeds win.  I had laid down hay between all the rows to keep the weeds in check, been diligent to weed regularly,  and even selectively sprayed Round-Up to stay on top them.  But there they were, still staring at me in the face. Taunting me.  Why can’t I stay on top of them?  I have pulled what feels like thousands of weeds, and still, there they are.

As I was letting this roll through my head, and feeling disappointed, the Lord helped me remember all the past seasons and all the other times the weeds were much worse.  Even though I have battled this regularly, I have always had an amazing crop at harvest time.  I have had onions the size of softballs, and tomatoes, peppers and potatoes so bountiful that I could not keep them all.  So what was all the fuss about?  Well, I wanted the garden to look as perfect as it was producing.  It even felt like I was putting more emphasis on how it looked, as compared to how it produced.  The Lord gives the increase, and it has produced—every year!

I was thinking about all of this, and Julie’s half marathon came to mind.  She was disappointed with her performance and race result, but you know what?  She is out there running every day, she is producing, she is doing things very few people do – including me.  Maybe she isn’t finishing where she wants.  Maybe she isn’t finishing at the top, but she is finishing!

Then it became clear to me, God doesn’t care about our perfection or our performance.  He cares about us.  He isn’t going to bring increase to my garden only if it has no weeds in it.  He isn’t going to help Julie battle during her run, only if she finishes at the top.  He is there for us, despite the issues.  He doesn’t wait for our weed-free garden and all our running issues to be resolved before He can bless us.  He loves and cares for us right where we are at.  He is there in the midst of your problems, not at the end of them.  What a pressure-reliever!

I am getting ready to venture out and pull some more weeds.  I love spending time out there.  I know I won’t get them all, but so what.  I know when people see my garden, they won’t see the postcard picture perfect one.  That’s okay.  Julie is getting ready to do more running by herself.  Her knees never felt better, and she has run more this year than any other.  She is a winner, not because of where she finishes, but because she does finish.  God is working within her to strengthen her mind and her body.  The results will come.  No worries.

Slow down and take a look around, He is there. He is always with us.  I am just thankful that He is not sitting there with a checklist, ensuring that we meet all the requirements of do’s and don’ts before he’ll be there for us.  He is just inviting us to come as we are.