I Know Thee By Name

She didn’t want to do track & field.

But she needed a gym credit.

She was SO nervous & WAY out of her comfort zone.

Week after week, running & more running.

She started to believe in herself. The meets were even going ok!

I loved watching her be brave.

Then her coach put her in the 2-miler for the home meet.

She cried.

SHE WAS SCARED.

She hadn’t trained for that distance!

She knew she was going to be WAY last & completely embarrass herself!

I knew she could do it. I prayed for her to know, too.

In her words (that she shared in church today):

“On the day of the meet, I was terrified & did not think I could finish the 8 laps.

I prayed a lot & when it was my event, I felt a calm. I started running & I felt good. I knew the spirit was with me. I could feel it as I ran. 

My Heavenly Father definitely helped me cross the finish line. As I crossed the finish line, I felt exhausted, & one of my teammates was there waiting for me & wrapped me in the biggest hug. She held me up even though I wanted to collapse.

I finished in last that day, but I felt like I had won.

That meet was a huge spiritual experience.

Much like my teammate at the end, the Lord is always there waiting for us after any challenging trial. He is proud of us no matter what place we get in a race. He loves us all.”

I can’t describe how tender it was as her mom to watch her give her all, FINISH, & run right into the arms of her teammate who had stepped onto the track with her arms wide open. 😭 Several other teammates then huddled around her in a big hug.❤️

She finished feeling amazing- proud of herself, supported by her team, & loved by God.

The Lord told Moses: “I know thee by name” (Ex. 33:12)

I KNOW this is true. He knows YOUR name! He knows mine! He knows our circumstances & answers prayers in personal, unexpected ways.

He can’t always make us faster.

He can’t always make challenges disappear.

BUT He knows our efforts.

He knows our fears.

Cheers our name.

Waits with open arms.

Holds us up when we want to collapse.

Celebrates our victories.

And what looks like *last* to others may actually be *first* to Him.

“He loves each of us- insecurities, anxieties… He cheers on every runner” (Holland)