Day 37: Second Wind

I have to admit, when I first started writing this forty day thing, I didn't give too much thought to how difficult it would be to stay on a daily schedule, ensuring enough content is written each and every day. On top of that, I am making an effort to not be repetitive.

Sometimes I like to get out in the morning and go running. I stretch a bit, put on my running shoes, and take off. For a while, its a nice, pleasant experience. I'm just now waking up, I get to stretch my legs out a little, and it's nice to be out in the sun. But before long the pleasant experience starts to fade. Suddenly the birds don't seem to be chirping anymore. I'm no longer looking around at my surroundings and taking it in. Now I'm focused on the pain coming from my legs. Now I'm focused on my shortness of breath.

But if your a runner, then you probably know what I'm talking about when I talk about a "second wind." If you just tough out those moments, eventually you get into a rhythm and you can just keep on running for a long time. The pain seems to fade away, and the breathing settles into a steady rhythm, keeping up with your pace.

I really wish that I could start off the race in that "second wind" mode but I'm no professional runner. I think many of the times that I decide to call it quits early out on a run, I'm quitting just short of reaching that all-important rhythm.

Here at day 37 at 4D Days, I think I'm just now starting to get into that "second wind" mode. For a while, it was a lot of fun to write the posts and come up with new content. My first few ideas were ones that I had been storing up for a while. It seemed I could write huge entries on a subject with little preparation or thought. But then it started getting harder to come up with new ideas for what to write. And then I started procrastinating when the topics weren't flowing as easily. I began to wish that I had the same ease as the beginning of my writing. I began to wish I was at the beginning of my race, not the middle.

I think I'm just now beginning to find that rhythm that gives you a second wind in writing. And really, it's interesting that I'm coming into that right towards the end of my challenge. It's a rhythm that could enable me to keep writing for a long time.

The "running the race" analogy isn't a new one, you know. Just because I get out every once in a while, doesn't make me original. Paul seemed to think it was a pretty good one for life:

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. (1 Corinthians 9:24, NIV)

To get that prize, we're going to have to keep running when the pain comes and the air is getting short. We're going to have to find that rhythm, find that second wind past our struggles and our pains. God will provide, but we've gotta be willing to not give up.

So put on your most trusted pair of running shoes. You won't be done with this particular run for a long, long time.

See you tomorrow.