Wingman
I once again braved the park run this morning - under extreme conditions. It was a beautiful day weather wise - slight wind gusts & chilly - but nothing to keep people indoors.
The weather conditions were in me...
I woke up headachy, feeling sluggish, sleepy (grouchy!) & DEFINITELY not in the mood for running 5k's! However my 15 year old son also sees himself as my human alarm clock & was very keen to run so made sure I was awake & ready an hour early. I knew running is good for me & 'boy will I be so glad I did it afterwards'. My body will thank me? Right then I felt it would thank me more for another hours sleep in my warm bed. (insert eyes shut emoji)
An hour later, at 8am, there we were at the start line with 140 other running enthusiasts, waiting to begin. I had a lookout for my two running buddies (my son runs double my pace & had disappeared), the old man who always wears a blue shirt & has to date been my pacer (I basically stay behind him and keep up his pace) & the champion bearded man in the wheelchair who is normally just behind me. We are all around the same pace - and are definitely an odd trio. I watch my friend in the wheelchair in awe, & I'm sure he inspires so many people as he does what I'm already finding extremely hard using just his upper body strength (& lots of grit & determination) to finish the course each week.
But for a few moments on the run I saw something that really inspired me.
You see, champion wheelchair park runner normally has a buddy who pushes him up the incline as we cross a bridge closer to the starting line. But his buddy wasn't there - and he was alone wheeling himself (rather slowly) up the bridge. But what happened next made me feel happy & in love with people who do kind things...
Blue shirt man came up from behind me and started pushing him over the bridge. Now this man isn't exactly a spring chicken - but he didn't even think twice about pushing the wheelchair uphill over the bridge - which took a bit of effort. Together they teamed up until the downhill slope - when the wheelchair takes over & then he takes off as gravity works well for him. :)
I loved that my kind hearted pacer did that. I love that he saw a need & put himself out to get another man over the incline.
He was his wingman.
One definition of wingman is "a friend who supports you". Isn't it great when support comes even when you haven't asked for it?
This made me think about things in our lives that we can't get shake off. It may not be as noticeable as a wheelchair, but it could be an internal struggle that you drag around with you that may be unseen to people but something you are acutely aware is there. It could be a fear that you are so ashamed to have but nevertheless it is there for now. It could be a speech impediment that leaves you paralysed. It could be a health condition.... or a past that haunts you. There are so many 'could be's' and the fact is there are often weights that hold us back, that limit us in some way dependant on the situation.
And that's why we need a wingman. Someone who lightens the load, who gives us that uphill push until we sail down the other side.
It reminds me of the incredible story of Dick Hoyt & his son Rick. This father & son team completed countless marathons together, because of the sacrificial love of a father who saw past his sons limitations & gave him a freedom he could never have obtained on his own. Born as a quadriplegic and with cerebral palsy, Rick told his father he felt like he wasn't disabled when he was in a marathon. Since then - together they have completed over 1000 marathons & endurance races.
It is one of the most inspiring stories of love & sacrifice - with parallels to the greatest in history.
I love the Bible verse in Matthew 11:30 that says:
"For My yoke is easy to bear and My burden is light"
There's a reason for that. It's because someone else carried the load for us over 2000 years ago. He did all the pushing the world would ever need - if only they could see what was done for them. The weights of life dropped away when He said "IT IS FINISHED."
Jesus - our Ultimate Wingman.
.. and for the record - I shaved off 15 seconds from my last time. Not much - but I am edging closer to 35 minutes! Woohoo!!
The weather conditions were in me...
I woke up headachy, feeling sluggish, sleepy (grouchy!) & DEFINITELY not in the mood for running 5k's! However my 15 year old son also sees himself as my human alarm clock & was very keen to run so made sure I was awake & ready an hour early. I knew running is good for me & 'boy will I be so glad I did it afterwards'. My body will thank me? Right then I felt it would thank me more for another hours sleep in my warm bed. (insert eyes shut emoji)
An hour later, at 8am, there we were at the start line with 140 other running enthusiasts, waiting to begin. I had a lookout for my two running buddies (my son runs double my pace & had disappeared), the old man who always wears a blue shirt & has to date been my pacer (I basically stay behind him and keep up his pace) & the champion bearded man in the wheelchair who is normally just behind me. We are all around the same pace - and are definitely an odd trio. I watch my friend in the wheelchair in awe, & I'm sure he inspires so many people as he does what I'm already finding extremely hard using just his upper body strength (& lots of grit & determination) to finish the course each week.
But for a few moments on the run I saw something that really inspired me.
You see, champion wheelchair park runner normally has a buddy who pushes him up the incline as we cross a bridge closer to the starting line. But his buddy wasn't there - and he was alone wheeling himself (rather slowly) up the bridge. But what happened next made me feel happy & in love with people who do kind things...
Blue shirt man came up from behind me and started pushing him over the bridge. Now this man isn't exactly a spring chicken - but he didn't even think twice about pushing the wheelchair uphill over the bridge - which took a bit of effort. Together they teamed up until the downhill slope - when the wheelchair takes over & then he takes off as gravity works well for him. :)
I loved that my kind hearted pacer did that. I love that he saw a need & put himself out to get another man over the incline.
He was his wingman.
One definition of wingman is "a friend who supports you". Isn't it great when support comes even when you haven't asked for it?
This made me think about things in our lives that we can't get shake off. It may not be as noticeable as a wheelchair, but it could be an internal struggle that you drag around with you that may be unseen to people but something you are acutely aware is there. It could be a fear that you are so ashamed to have but nevertheless it is there for now. It could be a speech impediment that leaves you paralysed. It could be a health condition.... or a past that haunts you. There are so many 'could be's' and the fact is there are often weights that hold us back, that limit us in some way dependant on the situation.
And that's why we need a wingman. Someone who lightens the load, who gives us that uphill push until we sail down the other side.
It reminds me of the incredible story of Dick Hoyt & his son Rick. This father & son team completed countless marathons together, because of the sacrificial love of a father who saw past his sons limitations & gave him a freedom he could never have obtained on his own. Born as a quadriplegic and with cerebral palsy, Rick told his father he felt like he wasn't disabled when he was in a marathon. Since then - together they have completed over 1000 marathons & endurance races.
It is one of the most inspiring stories of love & sacrifice - with parallels to the greatest in history.
I love the Bible verse in Matthew 11:30 that says:
"For My yoke is easy to bear and My burden is light"
There's a reason for that. It's because someone else carried the load for us over 2000 years ago. He did all the pushing the world would ever need - if only they could see what was done for them. The weights of life dropped away when He said "IT IS FINISHED."
Jesus - our Ultimate Wingman.
.. and for the record - I shaved off 15 seconds from my last time. Not much - but I am edging closer to 35 minutes! Woohoo!!
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