Princess Run

By Sherri Holbert –

“Dear God, please make sure someone is behind me that can read this. If found on the side of the road, drag me across the finish line.” This was one of my favorite t-shirt sayings for my first half marathon, the Disney Princess Run.

It was indeed a magical experience! Tiaras, pink tutus, crystal bling and magic wands adorned the 16,000 princess runners. My tiara made me feel like Cinderella even though my running shoes had no resemblance to pretty, glass slippers!

I found humor in the t-shirt phrase at the beginning of the race. As I began to sweat and “sparkle” after a few miles, I realized that running 13.1 miles is no easy feat without the proper training plan.

During practice the key training goal is to increase your endurance through long distance runs. This isn’t about speed. The goal is simply to finish the run while incorporating some walk breaks in order to maintain strength and a slow breathing pattern. On race day I felt confident I had prepared myself to simply enjoy the journey, cross the finish line and receive my princess medallion.

Our spiritual run also requires dedicated training. We must train ourselves to spend daily time with God even when we have other deadlines on our agenda. We must devote ourselves to intimate, uninterrupted prayer time with our personal Trainer. We must commit to spiritual strength-training even when our muscles are tired. In this heavenly race, our goal is to finish while giving God our personal best.

Are you confident with your spiritual training plan? Are you committed to doing the hard work now so you can cross the finish line with ease? I believe we all desire to receive a first place medallion for a job well done once we enter the Heavenly Princess Run.

PRAYER: Father, help me to keep my training plan focused on You. Help me to schedule priority time for endurance training through daily quiet time and prayer.

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever” (1 Corinthians 9:24-25 NIV).

Today’s devotion is by Sherri Holbert, a co-founder of Walk of Purpose ministries. Read more of her inspirational devotions in DIVAS of the Divine: How to Live as a Designer Original in a Knock-Off World. Study or check out her blog at www.walkofpurpose.blogspot.com.