A Marathon, Not a Sprint

We live in a day and age where we are often rushing through one race, just to jump into the next one. We want to binge watch an entire season of a show in a single weekend, only to spend hours aimlessly searching through Netflix for something else. We want to chase after the fleeting quick pleasures of life, only to find that our short-term dopamine rush leaves as quickly as it entered.

But life, at least the life God intended us to embrace, is a not a sprint but a marathon.

Steve Campbell’s story is a great example of how we can all be better marathon runners. His family grew at a marathon pace, from fertility treatments to adoptions. It meant taking the blessings God gave them as they were delivered, and not rushing to snatch them out of thin air. His marriage moves at a marathon pace because when the divorce rate for couples with a special needs child is 80% you take each day one at a time.

But running the marathon of life also comes with its own pitfalls, complacency being the chief culprit. Steve reminds us that we need to be present with our spouses and our children. Sometimes that means not rushing to fix problems but instead being an active listener. Sometimes that means spending time with each child to truly understand them and the love they need. And sometimes that means having the confidence to leave work at work.

There’s plenty we, as men, can relate to and learn from in Steve’s sit down with Pastor Jeff.

As you watch/listen, think about your own life. Are there times in the last month that you’ve been running a sprint and not a marathon? If so, what can you do today to slow things down? Maybe it’s turning the TV off during dinner or putting the phone down when you’re talking with your partner. Or maybe it’s leaning into your role as your family’s spiritual leader.

We’re all imperfect and guilty of sprinting in our lives but failing to recognize it means we’ll have nothing left in the tank when we need it the most.