One of my favorite quotes of all time is something John Wayne said in one of his movies, "Courage is when you're scared out of your mind, but you saddle up and ride anyway." I guess the reason I like that so much is because I've had to apply it to my own life quite a number of times. For example, as a result of being the oldest and heaviest member of our running group, I am also now the slowest, especially during the summer months. Therefore, when we are going to be running eight miles or more, I sometime will start out 15-30 minutes ahead of the main group, so that we can all finish closer to the same time. That means that I may be starting out as early as 4:00 AM, running alone down some dark, desolate roads. Although it has never happened when I'm totally alone, there have been times when we've seen some unsavory looking characters walking down the road at that time of the morning; and there have been times when we've come across some vicious acting dogs that are out running loose. I shouldn't really say that I'm "scared out of my mind" when I'm out there alone, but there is a feeling of uneasiness sometimes when I'm alone on the darkest, most desolate parts of the route. Here's the good news: Most of the time, I have a friend with me, and that makes all the difference in the world. There is comfort when I'm not alone.
Sometimes all it takes is having someone beside you to make you feel more secure when you're traveling on uncertain terrain. Other times a little more may be required. I'll give you an example of this and it also has to do with running. There is a phobia that runs in our family that I inherited, passed on to my kids, and now I can also see it in my grandson: a fear of heights. The Louisville Bridge crosses the Ouachita River and connects Monroe to West Monroe, and up until just a few years ago, it was a regular part of our Saturday running route. Although most people would never notice it in a car, if you're on foot, you realize just how far above the water you are at the highest part of the bridge. At that part of the bridge, there is a rail, but there is nothing beside your feet...it just drops off into thin air. I can remember my daughter getting to that part of the bridge, and she would just freeze up. I tried words of encouragement, but they were to no avail. So I said, "Let me try running beside you, and I'll get between you and the rail." It didn't work. Finally I said, "Let me run beside you, between you and the rail, and I'll hold your hand." Success! I'm sure the people driving across the bridge at that time were wondering what was going on with a fifty-something year old man running across the bridge holding the hand of a twenty-something year old woman...but it worked and we did it.
Like most people, I enjoy times when I can be alone, but as humans, we are social creatures and there are some roads we have to travel when we need someone else beside us, encouraging us, or maybe even being there for us to hold on to. And that makes me wonder how many times someone else has needed me to walk beside them, and I wasn't there. Most of us, when we get to those places, just go ahead and "saddle up and ride," but it sure does help when someone is riding with us. I don't mind when I have to run down those dark roads alone, I really don't. If I did I wouldn't do it. I'm just saying that I feel braver when someone is with me. But there are some roads that we have to travel that are a little more serious than going for a morning run, and I want to do my part to be there for others so they don't have to go it alone, because I know there are those who will do it for me.
Lord, please help me be sensitive to the needs of others, so I can be there for them when they need me.
Preston
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