There is Still Hope - Third Annual Hope Marathon - March 26th - Come walk some if you can!

Ten years ago, at a little bed and breakfast in Stanley, Virginia, Erik, John and I secretly became a family.  We didn't know God very well, and definitely had no idea of what was in store, but we knew we would need Him.  He was the third cord that would keep us from being easily broken.  Over time, God drew us closer to Him through our church and challenged us to grow in our faith by living it out a little at a time.  He was gentle.  He gave me simple faith, but John was a little more resistant, much more analytical and in need of answers.  I prayed desperately for his salvation and remember clearly the moment I told God I was ready for whatever it would take... the moment my head and my heart truly surrendered the "normal" life we had come to know for whatever God had planned for us instead.  Within months John was showing signs of ALS, and on January 6th, 2014, he was officially diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.  All I remember thinking is, "God's not surprised, and He is so much bigger."  Throughout John's illness, God repeatedly reminded us of this truth as this path that would seem so horrific was revealed to be the most beautiful, intricate and purposeful adventure.  John realized he didn't need all the answers and gave his life to Christ.  He openly professed his faith through sharing his testimony and being baptized on Easter Sunday and proclaimed that he was at peace with "whatever God wants," and he was.  Over and over, God provided even more than we needed practically and physically as we did our best to trust Him and act accordingly in obedience. I have no doubt that God gave our family special favor as He blessed us with unity, hope, peace and joy, even as John took his last breaths on March 26th, 2016.  Our seven years of marriage were amazing, but the time together after John's diagnosis was a gift I would never even consider exchanging.  In those last 26 months and 20 days, our marriage was what God had in mind when He created it, not despite ALS, but because of it.

We lost John; I lost my marriage, but even in loss, I knew hope.  This very feeling of anticipation and looking forward to something was so present in my life.  Jesus died a horrible death in our place and was resurrected to establish His dominion over death forever and offer us abundant and eternal life.  John accepted that gift, so I know he now has a glorious body, free of illness and wear, and he is enjoying the full presence of God without sadness, pain, sickness or tragedy.  I accepted that gift, too, so not only can I look forward to that peaceful eternity with God, but I can also look forward to seeing John there.  But wait, there's more.  There's hope here in the loss and the pain.  Trusting Jesus as our savior also allows us to be reconciled with God and experience relationship with Him here in this broken world.  He is for us, working in us and is always with us.  Two years ago, I had the privilege of sharing our story with churches, encouraging the weary and teaching that there is hope for this "race" each of us is running as I prepared to run a real marathon in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on March 26th, 2017.  Though I ran on the anniversary of John's death, that race was not about John.  The goal was to remember God's faithfulness and His love that He poured out on us in a time that could very easily been diseased with despair.  It was a long race. It was cold. It rained...and it was beautiful! Last year on March 26th, the race was different.  I walked 26.2 miles around Brevard.  There was no fundraising, no bib number and no finish line, and I had company. Friends and family joined in here and there to celebrate God's faithfulness as well.  We listened to praise music, prayed together and read about 27 awesome attributes of God.  It was a long day.  It was cold (but no rain!), and it was beautiful! 

Tom also walked an awfully long way beside me last year as my new husband.  Just two months after the marathon in Ann Arbor, he and I met, and yes we moved quickly, getting married less than seven months later.  There was no doubt in my mind that this was exactly what God intended.  After 15 months of a lot of hard work, exhaustion, conflict and seemingly small victories, I still have no doubt I am exactly where God has called me, and He has such big plans for us... plans not to harm us, but to prosper us and plans for hope and a future.  That's a pretty well-known Bible verse, right?  Well, I was recently encouraged to read what comes before that verse, and I saw this: "This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 'Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease.  Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.'” (Jeremiah 29:4-7) This letter is to the remnant of God's people who survived the attack on Jerusalem but were carried into 70 years of captivity in Babylon.  It is a reminder of His grace, faithfulness and ability to restore, but also a challenge to not only endure while waiting for God to bring deliverance, but to thrive through God's provision in the place between.  Now, don't get me wrong; Tom is not holding me here against my will, and I love him and his family so much, but like the Jews in Babylon, I am still very much a stranger in a place my heart does not yet call home, surrounded by people who are quite different than me, and I am desperate for change.  I can't wait for Tom and me to be good at speaking each other's love languages, to understand how to compensate for each other's weaknesses and encourage each other's strengths, to co-parent without temptation to judge or get defensive, and for his kids and my kids to truly be "our" kids.  I love that I am living on this side of the cross and know the hope God promised and that He still has plans for us to prosper.  However, God has us here in this complicated step-family with so many factors working against us, and right now, He is telling me that He is not surprised, and He is bigger...and instead of fixating on the hope in the next leg of the race or waiting at the finish line, my job is to see the hope He is providing in the path under my feet in this moment.  God is not the third cord in marriage; He is the first one.  He is the reason Tom and I are still in this together, and just like He brought beauty from the ashes of ALS, this incredible God who does not change, who does not abandon us, who will never love us less or give up on us - He will prove His faithfulness and goodness in and through this new family in His perfect timing.  

In two weeks, on March 26th, I am going to again set apart a day to worship that same God through my third annual hope marathon.  It will be a time to celebrate and reflect on His faithfulness and praise Him for the gift of Jesus as I trust in Him for the strength to endure another 26.2 miles.  As before, all who would like to and can join for a bit are definitely welcomed!  I've listed the course below with some checkpoints and time estimates.  Let me know if you are planning to come, and I will send you updates as we walk, or just feel free to text or call to find out where I am also.  I will probably post to Facebook Live.  If you cannot join, I would still love your prayers and encouragement by texts and Facebook! 

9:00-9:20am - Parking lot at ballfields behind Pisgah Forest Elementary to Lowe's (1.1 mile)

9:20-10:50am - Forest Loop (4.5 miles)

10:50am-12:50pm - Lowe's to High School via Franklin/Gallimore and back to downtown (7 miles)

12:50-2:10pm - Legacy Run 5K Route - start at Jordan and Johnson, quick lunch break at Austin's house on Franklin Street - back around Gallimore and through downtown (3.1 miles)

2:10-3:40pm - Downtown to Lowe's (4 miles)

3:40-5:10pm - Forest Route Again (4.5 miles)

5:10-5:30pm - Lowe's to Pisgah Forest Elementary Track (1.1)

5:30-5:50pm - Big Finish!  Laps around Pisgah Forest Elementary School Track - behind the school (4 laps or so)