The WHOoosh of the wind at my back.

Gliding downhill.

Sweating it uphill.

The gentle thump-thump of my shoes hitting the ground.

The crunch-crunch of gravel beneath.

The occasional chats with those I pass by.

Jogging into bright sunrises and purple-pink sunsets.

Beauty. Joy. A few sore muscles. And sheer exhilaration!

I love running! Did I mention that yet?

At a recent race, I ran without much training - Strike One. I figured a 5K would not be so bad.

The race began with a gradual downhill and a relatively flat course. I sped up a little not realizing that the hill ahead was not just any mole hill - Strike Two. I ended up dragging myself uphill.  And then, I was left panting for a few minutes.

With the clock still ticking, I finally approached the last quarter mile. My running buddy who had slowed his pace thus far coaxed me into sprinting the last quarter with him. Bad idea. I had barely made it over 50 feet and I was ready to give out - Strike Three. I had to tell my buddy to go on without me.

I finished the race - alone and exhausted.

You may not be a runner but there are moments when life is much like this race. The path ahead seems easy enough. Rather straightforward, even.  You tell yourself, “Oh, that’s not so bad. I can do this - easy as pie!”

And you are tempted to go it alone. Immediately, you are in greatest danger of stumbling. For soon you will be left panting for air, wishing you had better paced yourself, wishing you had trained better, wishing you had listened to the Coach, wishing. . . And at the end of the day, you finish alone and exhausted.

So, here’s the challenge, my friend: next time life throws you a task that seems “easy as pie,” go for it!  But not by might, nor by power, but by His Spirit (Zech 4:6).

Tempted to race to the finish line?  Call on the Helper who dwells with you, His Spirit of Truth (John 14: 16-17).