Urgh, why is this taking so long.
I admit, that was my primary thought.
In a month chockfull of speaking engagements, time was precious. I’d to pray, prep slides, practice before nailing the messages.
Then came the opportunity to speak at the @d6family regional conference. As the only Asians amidst a panel of American speakers including Gary Chapman, Cliff and I wondered how we even got selected. 🤯🤷🏻♀️
As we prepared for the big day, praying, practicing, processing our message, I grumbled, “Man, this is taking longer than I hoped.”
It was easier to prepare a message alone.
But when I chanced upon this old photo, a revelation hit me. It was Cliff, riding along his old routes in Canada, slick as rain, slicing through the woods. At the peak of his performance, he was fast.
Then we married. One day, we both decided to participate in a triathlon- he, in the men’s section, and I, in the women’s. In the last segment of the run, my legs became lead. I saw the finish line. Near but still so far away.
Then out of nowhere, a familiar face jumped out! “HEY I’M HERE!”
It was Cliff. To finish the race with me, he’d secretly hidden behind a bush near the finish line to surprise me.
“Why’d you do that? Now your finishing timing sucks.”
“That wasn’t my goal,” he said. “My goal was to finish the race with you.”
😭
As I ponder upon that race done 7 years ago, I marvel at that truth- that alone, we can go faster. But together, we go further. 🏃🏻♀️🏃🏻
The night before the conference, I couldn’t sleep. Troubled by sth else, I tossed and turned in bed, waking Cliff up at 2am to talk. The next day, he’d to sleep in to catch up on rest.
He never complained. Never winced.
Today, if you’re frustrated with your relationship because learning to journey with someone can be such a pain, you’re not wrong. That’s entirely… normal.
Just remember that it’s always faster to do life alone. But to go far, it’s so much more worthwhile to go together. ❤️
Even if your finishing time sucks.🥲