"Therefore, since we are surround by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scoring its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:1-2
throw off everything
run with perseverance
the race marked out for us
Tell me, O muse, of that ingenious hero who travelled far and wide after he had sacked the famous town of Troy. Many cities did he visit, and many were the nations with whose manners and customs he was acquainted; moreover he suffered much by sea while trying to save his own life and bring his men safely home; but do what he might he could not save his men, for they perished through their own sheer folly in eating the cattle of the Sun-god Hyperion; so the god prevented them from ever reaching home. Tell me, too, about all these things, O daughter of Jove, from whatsoever source you may know them. -- Homer's The Odyssey
My dear roommate Maddie recently completed what I like to call her Odyssey. This long journey has tested her, led her to confront her limits, torn her body apart, and has lasted two months. Maddie recently ran the Austin half-marathon on Sunday. She carried herself on swift feet-- tackling the hills of Austin, surpassing those around her, and besting her own expectations. She ran with joy, and she ran with God. She was not defined by a time (though she did beat the two hour mark, atta babe!), but she was defined by an experience. We are all proud. She completed an odyssey.