First things first, if you ever come to South Carolina here are things to remember: -You will need water, lots of it. -There are shells everywhere, try not to step on them for they will hurt your feet. -Sunscreen is a must, even on the cloudy days. Do not say you don't need it, ever. -You can find almost anything you need at Walmart, and I mean anything. I say all of these things because these little facts are not things I knew coming into this trip. I was unaware I could cut my foot on a shell, and I was unaware that even an hour without sunscreen could result in looking like a lobster. You may be wondering why I am talking about what seem to be stupid little facts, but they represent something greater. This week we discussed setting the pace, the pace of our faith in Jesus and how we plan to live that out this summer. With any race, you need to know what you are getting yourself into, you need to train. So coming to South Carolina I didn't know I needed a bucket of sunscreen, or to not step on shells when on the beach. I wasn't trained, I wasn't ready for the little things. But I also wasn't ready for the big things. I wasn't aware of how much I would be stretched in my faith. I didn't know how to share properly. I wasn't sure of where God was going to lead me this summer. But our faith is a race, it's a marathon. And in any race you have to train. You need to know the little things, but you also have to prepare for the big ones. In a marathon, you don't just decide to wake up and run, you have no training. It takes time! The same goes with our faith. You have to use the tools to stay in shape (reading your bible), you have to train, and most importantly you have to set yourself at a pace so you don't burn out. As Christians, I believe we like to take our faith head on a lot. We like to think we can handle this race of faith by ourselves. But the truth is, we can't. It's impossible. If we attempt to run this marathon without God, we will hit mile 20 and not be able to finish. But with God, we have have the greatest coach imaginable! He has already ran this race for us, so he can help us along the way. With him, we have someone to talk to about the worries ahead. We have someone to train us in the many aspects of this marathon that will be difficult. But most importantly we have someone to run this race with us! I've also learned the importance of running with people. If you try to run alone, with no one to help you train you will burn yourself out. However if you have others around you, there are people setting this pace of faith with you. As believers we are not competing, we are on the same team. So, yes, I don't know what I am getting myself into in this marathon of faith, but I am learning. I am understanding the ups and downs, I am gaining knowledge about setting my pace, and I am using the trainings the staff leads to stay in shape. 1 Corinthians 9:25 says "All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize." We must train, we must practice, and we must rely on our coach. We must run this race, competing against the enemy of our souls, who hates God's Kingdom and wants us to drop out. We must remember that the race is set before us, our Sovereign God has set the course. But you can't run the race if you have never entered it. You need to put you faith and trust in Jesus our Savior, if not, you aren't even in this race. If you don't enter this race, you won't get the prize, the eternal prize God offers us. Whether you are in the race, just starting, or sitting on the sidelines, we training. We need our coach. We need God. So, are you ready to start this marathon? Are you ready to run this race with your team? It's time to start setting the pace. Let us cross the finish line, whenever it may be, running as hard as possible, together, expecting to win. --Kayla
