The Man in The Red Jacket

Sometimes I am inspired by a person whom I have never met.  Normally, it’s a trait that he or she possesses that I find to be inspiring in ways that may or may not make sense to anyone but me.

Lately, my inspiration has been found in a stranger: the man in the red jacket.

I see him out running, mostly in the morning hours.  I see him on the bike trail, a full head of silver hair, wearing a red jacket, running with a slow but steady pace.  His form is perfect, posture precise; I’m guessing at one time he was a force to be reckoned with.

The man in the red jacket appears to be unconcerned about his time.  His focus is on the path in front of him and nothing else.

This morning, the man in the red jacket was in my neighborhood.  I passed him in my Ford Focus and our eyes met for a second.  We exchanged a cordial wave.

I know this is odd, but in that brief moment of connecting, I felt hope.

As a woman who found solace in the pounding of the pavement for many years, the discipline and dedication of a silver haired gentleman reminded me of the joy and freedom I, too, had experienced as a pavement pounder.

I would run when I was happy, sad, confused, stressed, anxious or for no reason at all.  After I reached the point of physical exhaustion, the end of my own resources, in raw weakness I would often hear His voice.  Sometimes His voice was so clear that the sheer weight of His presence would stop me dead in my tracks.

The man in the red jacket symbolizes the ability to remember the past without still attempting to live there; the ability to accept one’s present set of circumstances with all the grace and ease possible.  A realization that we need to neither forget nor hold onto the past as it has helped to shape the present yet does not necessarily negate the future.

Each time I spot this man, I am inspired.  Somehow his quiet resilience gives hope to derailed dreams and unmet expectations.  A good running coach drills one unbendable rule  into the head and heart of a runner: “never, never, never look back.”  The man in the red jacket seems to be living by this rule; embracing his present season of life one slow hill at a time.

If you are going through a time of disenchantment, a season of realizing lost dreams and weighty disappointments I pray you will be encouraged by the strength of another.  Take a slow look around, wherever God has placed you, and allow your Maker to show you something that resonates with the person He has made you to be.  Be inspired.  

And remember, you may unwittingly be the person who inspires another.  Just keep moving forward at whatever pace you can muster and never, never, never look back.

Stay the Course…

Sheila