wednesday's analogy

so i went running yesterday morning.
i like to think of myself as a runner, although adam says i'm not allowed to have my 26.2 sticker on my car anymore since i haven't run a marathon since 2005. i mean come on now! haa!

anyways. my dad and i ran a little over 6 miles and it was pretty hot outside!
when we were at about the 5 mile mark, i saw one of the most beautiful sights i have ever seen...

a blue, buick le sabre with my mom's smiling face looking at us out the window!
she pulled over and held out 2 water bottles!

i can not tell you how amazingly wonderful it was to drink that water!
it was just the boost we needed to get us up the last 2 hills in the final mile.
i love running. i love how it feels even when it hurts. i try to smile at people driving by, and i just run on.
i could have made it without the water, i would have survived. i would have finished.
but it was so helpful to get it.

here's my analogy.
sometimes i think we see people running the race.
they look strong.
they look fine.
they might even be smiling at the people driving by.
but...that doesn't mean that they don't need encouragement.
it doesn't mean that they are not hurting.
could they carry on in life without you? probably.
but would it be a little easier if you decided to stop and give them a little water? a card, a text message, a phone call? absolutely.
you have no idea what might be going on in their life at this moment.
and that one decision to stop, could be exactly what they need to push them up that hill.
sometimes the ones that need it the most are the ones that look the strongest on the outside!

my challenge:
find someone today who you think looks fine.
who you think looks strong.
and give them a little push up that hill.
you never know how it might encourage them to keep going!