I openly claim my ADD. Most of the time I am not hyper, but every now and then I become excited and then the hyper shows up. This past weekend is a good example. I got to Orlando and headed straight for registration for the Half Marathon on Sunday. Having never been to a runner’s expo I did not know what to expect.
I have another flaw that is a problem a lot of the time, I love to shop. I mean LOVE to shop! Hate the crowds, but there is something about getting in a store and looking at stuff. (Yes, Madam Blueberry resonates with me. - Veggies Tales in case you are not familiar with Madam Blueberry.). The Expo contained gadgets, shirts, leggings, shoes, and just stuff EVERYWHERE. My friend wanted to go up & down the aisles. Me? I was like a tornado hitting one area then another. Yes, ADHD was in full force. I apologize to my friend for just how excited and out of control I was.
The weekend was a great learning experience. The end of the race came, and I realized where I had missed training and was ill-prepared for the humidity. What I did the day before the race was Animal Kingdom, resulting in a step count of 11 miles. The day of the race was early and stressful. Be on the bus by 3:30. Get to your assigned area (a mile away-yes, we walked a mile before the race), then wait 2 hours before you can even see the start line up close. My goal of reaching the Magic Kingdom was reached. I could lie and say I completed the race, but I would have to live with that lie. I reached part of my goal. My step count for that day was 11.5 miles. I developed a few blisters on the bottom of my feet. The day after the race was Hollywood Studios & Magic Kingdom. My step count was 10.5 miles. In three days, I walked 33 miles.
During the race I saw men dressed as Princesses, as in a grown man built like The Hulk, dressed in full Ariel wardrobe-seashell bra and all. I also saw wonderful volunteers who had to be in place at 2 in the morning. There were marching bands along the way, a group of drummers greeted us at Magic Kingdom. But the best thing I saw was people encouraging other people. At my mile 2, we saw the race leader running at mile 11, she was all by herself. Our side of the road cheered for her! We all clapped and screamed for her to keep going, She did. I had people pass me and turned to say, “keep it up, you’re doing great!” I had people talk to me about my costume, I was Merida. I had more people talk to me during the race that I did at any of the parks. Encouragement was needed. 13.1 miles is the length of the race. My goal had been 7 miles, to see Cinderella’s Castle. I stopped the race because I needed to.
God showed up along the race. In little ways. I felt very overwhelmed at times. Disney is NOT flat. Next time you’re on the road to the Magic Kingdom, notice the ramp is a hill. The roads are also angled in places. I talked to God during the race because I wanted to reach my goal. God had other plans. Sometimes our goals do not match God’s goals. After returning home, I realized I failed to ask God what His goals for me was for this race. I did what He wanted me to, I stopped when He wanted me to. Overwhelmed with emotions when I stopped, I cried. I felt I had failed. But sometimes it is necessary to put others first, more times than not we need to put God first. I failed to include God in setting my goals. But during the race I asked Him to show me when I needed to stop.
James 4:13-17 “Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”—yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” So, all my plans and goals were in vain because I failed to include God. During my race, I included God. He told me without a doubt I needed to stop.
What about you? Are you setting goals for a race without God?