Race to the Finish

Ever since we arrived back at camp since our trip to Nicaragua it seems like our group has been searching for a sense of normality. For the first time in a few months we suddenly seemed to be hosting many mid-week groups. Also, many of the interns made plans to go home to visit family and friends. It was definitely an interesting few weeks. But, now all nine of us are back here at camp and trying to enjoy the present while anticipating the future.

Two days ago, I ran a half marathon race in Atlanta. It was my first ever race of that distance, and I loved it. I was especially happy that I achieved my goal of finishing under 2 hours (1 hour and 53 minutes)! But, now looking back at the race I can see some illustrations of the challenges that our intern class faces in balancing the acts of remembering our pasts, living in the present, and awaiting the future.

As for the past, it is very unlikely I would have achieved my goal of finishing under 2 hours without my past experiences in running and the training I put into preparing for the race. Even though, my training was far from perfect and had many roadblocks throughout the months, the process was vital for my conditioning on race day. Similarly, my past experiences before and during this internship have prepared me for the present. My relationships with Christ, family, and friends certainly have an impact on who I am today. Also, experiences in work and ministry have equipped me to face the tasks of life today. For example, my summer internship at Timber Wolf Lake last year helped prepare me immensely for my time in the kitchen here at SharpTop Cove.

Just as the past is important to remember, it is also vital to live in the present as well. In my half marathon race I had to take the race one mile at a time to make sure I kept up with my desired pace. Also, by appreciating each moment I was able to take in the scenery of a variety of places around the city of Atlanta. If I was constantly concerned about how I wished I would have trained better, or only envisioning the finish line I would have missed out on so much. This is the challenge here in this internship as well. Sometimes the year can seem like it's dragging by, and sometimes it can go extremely fast. In either case, it is really easy to be distracted from what is going on in the present. Right now all the interns including myself are anxious about what we will be doing after this internship is complete. It is important to make sure we don't miss out on many opportunities to enjoy what we have now, by always being focused on the future.

That being said, what is ahead should not be totally forgotten. I really enjoyed the scenery of running through Atlanta and the encouragement from all of the crowds. But, without an end goal in mind, I would have lacked motivation to continue running after a while. While appreciating the journey of getting there, it is healthy to be excited about the finish line of the race. Likewise, I know I cannot totally neglect what life will look like after this internship is complete. I need to be assertive in thinking, praying, applying, and planning for what's ahead.

The challenge of course is figuring out how to balance these three perspectives. There are some days when I dwell in the nostalgia of the past. Other days, I want to block out the past and future and just focus in on the here and now. And, then most days I am freaking out about where God is going to have me in the future. While there is no secret formula, I believe that being mindful of both the past and future while living in the beauty of the present is the best way to go. There will be days when this is harder than others, but this is why it is so important to genuinely trust God through all of it.

Well, off to go enjoy the present... Blessings!