Last Sunday, Janina, Ryan and I joined a duathlon. Ryan, who’s 14, and I tried it last year and wanted to do it again this year. Janina, our 19-year-old, wanted to join us. Nathan also wanted to race but he got sick last minute.
Since it was the first time for Janina, I wanted it to be a pleasant experience for her that she would want to do it again next time. So I paced with her to guide her throughout the race.
Since it was a duathlon, the sequence was run then bike then run again. In the last leg, we were in our last couple of kilometers. We were tired and worn out. So our plan was to do a slow run, maybe even walk for a minute right before the last kilometer so that we can finish strong. Of course, we need to finish strong for the cameras and Instagram. 🙂
But right before we were at the point of the slow run/walk, out of the blue, Janina’s best friend, Hannah showed up. She surprised her. This gave Janina a boost and totally forgot about her exhaustion.
The Bible says in John 14:16 that the Holy Spirit is our ‘parakletos’ – helper, advocate, and comforter. When we say comfort, we usually think of ease and freedom from hardship. But comfort comes from 2 words. “Com” for “with” and “fort” for “strength” where we get the word fortitude.
The way Hannah gave Janina a boost of strength in the last kilometer of the race, the Holy Spirit has the ability to strengthen us for this life’s race we are running. And the awesome thing is that He doesn’t just do it in the last leg, but He has the ability to empower us the whole time.
PRAYER:
Holy Spirit, strengthen us for this week. We acknowledge and honor You as our Comforter, Advocate, and Helper. Because of this truth, as we surrender and yield to your leadership, we know that this week will work out for my good and ultimately for God’s glory. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
—————————————————————-
Here are several photos from the race…
