Outside of teaching, one of my favourite hobbies is running. In the warmer months, I love to get out a few afternoons a week and run for a while. Some days I’ll run shorter 5-7km tracks and other days I’ll try to stretch it out to 15km.
Running is an activity that I’ve been sticking with for about 5 years now. In that time, I’ve completed 4 City2Surf competitions and 1 (unofficial) half marathon. My overall goal is to one day complete an official marathon. I’m not too concerned about how well I finish as I’ve learned to accept that I’m probably not the next Usain Bolt!
When I get out and run, I absolutely enjoy it… most of the time. 9 times out of 10, I have a great afternoon watching the sunset, finding new tracks to explore, tackling hills and feeling the breeze in the countryside. These runs fly by and I finish them feeling fast, strong and generally pretty pleased with myself.
Then there are those other days. That 1 out of 10 where it feels like a chore. Sometimes, there may just be too many bugs flying in my face or I may have upset the nest of a particularly agitated magpie. Some days I may have been tired before I began and not compensated by choosing an easier track. On those days, it is a hard race and I feel every step.
It’s on these days, the 1 out of 10, that I remember Hebrews 12:1 – And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. It is a timely reminder for me that not every race is going to be easy. Sometimes I just need to persevere, keep trying and finish the race before me.
While talking with our students over the last couple of weeks, a regular topic that has come up has been how busy life can get at this time of year. With so much going on including completing assessment tasks, attending after school activities, organising family events for the end of the year and Christmas edging ever closer, the end of the year can feel like a bit of a race.
One thing I have found that makes this race much more sustainable for me is the support found here at PCS. We are not just blessed with the supportive staff but also have wonderful parents and carers who work with us as a team to support these amazing young people.
I hope for all of you, that as you race to the end of the year, it will be filled with safety and joy (and perhaps some perseverance).
Matt