A Possibly Endless Marathon

Thursday, February 20, 2014 Posted by Debbie Legg

I’ve lived with chronic pain in my neck, back, shoulder and arm for the past 3 ½ years. Most of the time it’s not constant, but I do have more days with pain than without. What makes it worse? Normal everyday stuff, and things that bring me life such as writing, drumming and kayaking.

Like an Olympic athlete sidelined by injury, I do wonder what the future holds. Unlike an Olympic athlete, I don’t have any kind of time frame.

It’s a lot like running a marathon where they keep moving the finish line farther away.

I have, however, run this type of marathon before.

Seventeen years ago I had no idea how long our infertility marathon would last, or if we would ever see the finish line. Every month I would think, “Surely it will work this time.” Fifty-four times it didn’t. I told a friend, “It’s not knowing how it will end, and how long this horrendous journey will last, that is killing me.”

I did keep trudging through (barely), and we did reach the finish line. The journey didn’t look like I had planned, but it turned out better. Now I can look back and see God at work, His infinite wisdom, and perfect timing in healing our infertility—twice.

I survived one endless marathon, and (most days) I know I can survive another. God has promised me that this current marathon has a purpose, and I will have healing. I don’t know if the healing will be this side of heaven or not, but I do know that He is with me every single baby step of the way.

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Cor 4:16-18)