Perseverance

...is not my strongest point. I am a great starter and an enthusiastic dreamer who gets easily discouraged and often distracted. Beginning something is so much easier than finishing it. I have asked God to help me mature in this area, and to "grow me up" and make me more like Himself-faithful. I wonder aloud if my my life verse is from Paul "...but you have need of endurance." When I am CERTAIN something is God's calling (marriage, homeschool, parenting, forgiveness) I can stay true but everything else is subject to change (and even those big ones, some days, I admit to being tempted to throw in the towel!)
So, now to my point... 4 months ago 2 special friends agreed to train with me, for walking 13.1 miles in the Eugene Half-Marathon. I would never have followed through, would have quit by February I am sure, if they had not been so faithful. Knowing they were working twice as had as I was, knowing they were waiting at 7 am on Saturdays, not wanting to let them down! And yesterday, WE DID IT. We walked it together, laughing and sharing for over 3 hours and crossing that Finish Line together. And what was previously hard for me, was SIMPLE. What I couldn't do alone, I could do with joy and ease, with friends. And I realized what a gift it was, the way God created us for relationship, for fellowship. How wonderful it is that His will is "for brethren to dwell together in unity" and truly "iron sharpens iron". I am feeling much "sharper" today, emotionally and spiritually. My physical self, well...this morning I am also praising God for ibuprofen and heating pads!