During my sophomore year of track, I was running the 4×100 relay at a mid-season meet. The first-leg girl of our relay had been off flirting with some boys and my team had to scramble to find her once 2nd call came.
Consequently, none of us were warmed up and we were all a bit frazzled. Worst of all, the first leg runner thought we were running the 4×400 instead of the 4×100. Those races are run very differently.
Anyway, by the time I got the baton, we were in last place and I took out like a rocket. But, as I was running, I felt something snap in my left leg. After I passed off the baton, I collapsed on the side of the track.
Good news was I had pulled us into first and we won. Bad news was I had ripped my groin tendon.
That was the end of my sprinting days.
I could have come back as a long distance runner or I could have moved over to softball, a sport I loved to play. Instead, though, I just got bitter and didn’t do anything.
I still regret to this day that I didn’t persevere through adversity.
Our Faith life can go much the same way as my sport’s story. Everything can be going fine and all is good, but once a trial comes along, we throw up our hands and shout to God, “What the heck? I didn’t deserve this! Is this how you treat those that believe in you?!”
Our expectation is that being a Christian means a smooth pass along our pilgrimage through life.
St. James tells us today, “Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”
There is no smooth ride through life, Catholic Pilgrims. We should never have that expectation. Our faith will be tested. Our response to that testing will either show the superficiality of our faith or it will strengthen it.
Let the trials strengthen it. Don’t be like me back in high school and just give up.
Life the Faith boldly and travel well this Monday.
