When I didnt stand a chance...

I checked my email this afternoon and in my inbox was an email from the Boston Athletic Association. Titled
"26.2 days till the Boston Marathon" OH my...I felt my heart skip a beat! It is so close. I felt my nerves start to bubble like a lab experiment. "Wow, am I really here, am I really doing this?" "How did this even happen?"

This beautiful woman gave her testimony at church last night. She delivered a powerful and transparent illustration of how she has been transformed. And how amazing her life is since she gave everything to God then she sang a song. Her voice was strong and confident. Her voice was genuine and heartfelt. And her songs adhesed to every sense of my body. One in particular. The lyrics went like this:
"WHEN I DIDN'T STAND A CHANCE,IT HAD TO BE THE HAND OF GOD."
I can not believe I am going to Boston. The Boston Marathon is only my SECOND marathon I have ever ran.
Approximately 10% of marathon participants ran BQ times if you don't include Boston. And from that stat almost all those marathoners ran multiple marathons!

If I could have taken a picture of how many heads turned when a runner in Chicago asked me what my goal was and I replied to qualify for Boston. And their reply was how many marathons had I ran? And I said. NONE, this is my first. People three and four deep started whispering in my corral. Some didn't even whisper instead they gave one of those encouraging statements with holes all shot through it like.."Ohhh, Good Luck.."

In the last 5 years I have had:
1 appendectomy
2 KNEE surgeries..ACL same leg twice 9 months apart
IT Band..currently..
And Qualified.
There are many times I felt like I did not stand a chance, That I was not good enough. I was not strong enough, or that maybe because of all these unfortunate events it was not what God had for me. Maybe God was trying to tell me something, like all the Drs had. "Running is not good for you, It is very hard on your body, you should look into the elliptical."
But through all the set backs and all my series of unfortunate events every time I got knocked down when I came back I got stronger and faster. It was as if through my Tragedy God was inviting me to the land of Triumph. Through my Pain I was also experiencing  Progress. When I did not think I stood a chance God was right there saying "Take the chance, If you stay committed and trust me I will lead you to amazing possibilities, things you never thought you could do." (Jer3:33)
 I could tell you story after story of his hand in mine, stories of him protecting me on runs, stories of him healing me, stories of him directing me, many miracles that shows he believed in me when I did not believe in myself..But I believed in HIM..
"WHEN I DIDN'T STAND A CHANCE,IT HAD TO BE THE HAND OF GOD."

Anita