The woman’s marathon was in sweltering weather. The 28 degrees Celsius (82+ Fahrenheit) heat took a challenging run to a whole new level of difficulty! Even as I imagine the course, physical challenges, and range of emotions, I hear Life’s whisper asking me “what do you expect”?
It is a great question! What do you or I expect in the path ahead? I know we hope it will be smooth, exciting, and end when we arrive at success. Hope has a natural way of smoothing out sharp edges and reducing the degree of difficulty. Great journeys are rarely smooth or easy.
Wisdom teachers often remind us that our calling is not to a life of ease but to a life of hardship. From Christ to Buddha and on to Ascetics across all faiths, each has realized and embraced truth through discipline and denial. While there are important nuances within and without to this process, the greater truth is in the challenge of the journey ahead of us. Evil has no interest in our experience with Divinity.
As I reflect on the experience of others, I know I am travelling a path with Divinity at my side; “The enemy hunted me down; he kicked me and stomped me within an inch of my life. He put me in a black hole, buried me like a corpse in that dungeon.” (Psalm 143.3). The fact that it is challenging, overwhelming, and often brutally dark should not be a surprise. It is a reality which has been replayed for centuries.
I think of crossing the line at the end of a marathon. In my final one, the heart surprised to realize I knew the individual who put a medal around my neck and gifted me with a rose. Her smile and adoration in the moment took me back to when I could see her potential in her interview for her first fulltime role. I could see in her what she did not see in herself. On that day, roles reversed, the assurance of what is possible was tangible and real.
