HIGHS AND LOWS

Earlier, I was looking at the "On This Day" notification I got from Facebook.

2 years ago, on this day, the CHEERLEADER and I were in New York City as I was preparing to cap off my BEST YEAR YET (version 1.0) by running the New York City Marathon.

That day, October 30, 2015, was the day we went to the Expo and I picked up my race bib, participant's t-shirt, and some other awesome NYC Marathon swag.

I remember, vividly, after picking up my race bib, I was standing in line (I think to pick up my t-shirt), just looking at the number and getting emotional. 

I was REALLY there.  I was in New York City to run the Marathon! 

Standing in line, I was thinking back to the past year.

I couldn't believe that my BEST YEAR YET was just about over and how great it had been.

I didn't know 6 months later I would hear, "the biopsy results came back showing you have prostate cancer."

I was 6 months into my BEST YEAR YET 2.0, but honestly, 2.0 had not been anything like 1.0. 

At the time of the diagnosis, I had completed my 2nd Full Marathon of 2016, but the 3rd in the past 6 months....and I struggled with it.

Now, I was dealing with a cancer diagnosis a couple of months before my son was getting married AND I had 2 more marathons on my schedule I was running for ST. JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL as a ST. JUDE Hero (raising money and awareness for this GREAT cause).

A few weeks after the diagnosis, I was admitted into the hospital with a bacterial infection that kept me there for 5 days (probably should have stayed in longer, but I really wanted to get home!).  A little over 2 months after that, I was back in the hospital, for another 5 day stay to have the cancer surgically removed from my body.

Reflecting on that, it reminded me of the story in the Bible of the prophet Elijah in 1 Kings 18:20-46. He (Elijah) just experience a GREAT, SUPERNATURAL victory, with God's help.  He was on a HUGE high from it.

But shortly there after, a woman by the name of Jezebel said, in a message, "May the gods strike me and even kill me if by this time tomorrow I have not killed you just as you killed them."

Elijah, was afraid (as it said in 1 Kings 19:3) and fled for his life.

In a short time span, Elijah experienced a "roller coaster" of highs and lows in his life.

I'm not saying I'm Elijah, but I am saying that we can experience GREAT HIGHS and even bigger lows...even in our BEST YEAR YET.

It comes down to how we CHOOSE to react.

I have discovered I can trust GOD through it all, because HE is greater than all the HIGHS and LOWS I encounter. 

My job is to just trust HIM through it all.

HIS promise STILL stands.  GREAT is HIS faithfulness.

2017 Nebraska Marathon - Oct. 15th - 9 Full Marathon