Run Your Race

Particularly in light of social media and the fact that we are constantly inundated with the play by plays of our faves’ lives, it’s way too easy to get caught up with trying to keep up with other people. Whether it’s that other writer who makes you want throw your laptop out of the window because they are sooooo brilliant with words or those moms on the playground who seem like they got momming down to a science (WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE?!), it’s easy to try to determine the pace of our lives—how fast or slow we move toward a goal, destiny, dream–by the pace of others.

But here’s the truth: our pace will ALWAYS look different from those around us—even those we think might be going our same way.

I remember sitting at the river one day and seeing a couple who looked very comfortable moving along the pathway. The fascinating thing was they were side by side but one of them was walking and the other was jogging. And it didn’t appear to be intentional. For the one running, there was obvious exertion. It just seemed like the one who was walking didn’t NEED to run in order to maintain the pace of the one who was jogging. Nevertheless, they were moving toward their destination, each in their own way and at their own pace.

You may only need to walk leisurely toward a goal while someone else needs to run to get to that same place. It’s okay. You may have to run (move faster, think quicker) to reach a destination when someone else only has to walk. That’s okay too. The larger question we all have to ask ourselves is this: Is it worth running to keep up? If it is, and there are seasons where we are moving in community toward a goal, then run that race but at your pace. Don’t exhaust yourself trying to do what someone else is doing or rock out at a pace that’s not meant for you. But if it isn’t necessary to keep up—and I would venture to say that most of the time it isn’t—go ahead and walk. Hell, crawl if you must. Keep moving. Again, just at your own pace.

Oh…and with all that running and walking…be sure the dreams you are heading toward are your own and not someone else’s you saw on Instagram. Because if it is, you gonna be tired AND unfulfilled.

Just saying.

TMLG