We Are All The Same

(This blog was written quite a few years ago and never shared. Whether or not you are a runner; this blog is referencing the human race which we are all partakers in! Let's make sure to not only focus on our own lives but to also look beside and behind us so that we can all cross the finish line!!!)

Last weekend I ran in a 10k city race.

With almost 400 runners at the start line; I surveyed the crowd of men and women of various ages, sizes and shapes.

As the race got underway, each person eventually found their place in the pack of runners until at last there was a rhythm to the race.  

You never know who you may end up running next to, or if you’ll run beside anyone at all.  Paces vary, ebbing and flowing, as each mile of the race takes its toll on a runner.  

For part of the race, I found myself running next to a man who was tall, and perhaps a little older than me.  And that is all I can tell you about him.  We acknowledged each other without words, as our eyes met.  His perseverance motivated me, giving me strength; and I believe that my presence strengthened him as well.  

I didn’t know his name, what he did for a living, or whether or not he was married or had children.  I didn’t care.  The feeling was mutual.  I realized something that we all know, but tend to forget over time; we are all the same.  Sure, we may look different, act different and have different backgrounds, but when it comes right down to it: we are the same.

In a running event, the rules change, as no title or amount of money earned gives one person an advantage over another.

Instead, each person is running for a personal purpose, pushing his or her body for one reason or another from the start line all the way through to the finish line.  

As I ran beside Tall Man, we passed other runners and other runners passed us.  At one point in the race I came upon a young man I had known for many years who had stopped running and was walking.  “Come on, you can do it.” I puffed as I ran past him.  “Okay, if you say so.” He responded, and he suddenly began to run again.  

We are all the same.  We all need to be encouraged and we all need to give encouragement.  Even without knowing each other’s names, we can speak life to another. Lies which tell us we are not strong enough to run a race of endurance flee with a single hope-filled word.  

We are all people who sweat, huff and puff, and run with our own form and style.  And we are all people who can choose to respect each other regardless athleticism or the lack thereof.  

Our journey is taking us to the same place for as many different reasons as there are different personalities.  Our goal is to see to it that we all finish our individual races and that we all finish the race corporately.  We run for reasons we wrestle with in our own hearts, and cheer for those who run ahead, beside and behind.

Sometimes friendships are forged through labored breathing on the trail, although words may or may not be spoken.   

And at the end of the race, when all have crossed the finish line, it is clear to each runner that we all needed one another to finish strong.  

We are all the same.

Stay the Course…

Sheila