"...she was one of the fastest long-distance racers in the country."

 

A thought by Max Lucado from his book, You Are Never Alone (p. 95). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.)

This is a great story.

Max says, "Ask those who watched Kayla Montgomery run, and they will tell you that Kayla was a steady runner, a sturdy runner. Whip thin and determined, she was one of the fastest long-distance racers in the country. Trained eyes took note of her stride and strong finish. Her performance on the high school squad in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, caught the attention of coaches, competitors, and colleges. She set distance records, won state titles, competed in nationals, and eventually landed an athletic scholarship to Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee.

"Had you watched her run, you would have been impressed."

He goes on, "Here is what you never would have imagined: she ran with no feeling in her legs. She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at the age of fifteen. The disease is an autoimmune disorder that strictly targets the myelin sheath of the nerves, affecting the brain and spine. Heat sensitivity is one of many possible symptoms of MS. When Kayla overheats, her MS symptoms flare up, leaving her numb from the waist down.

"Still she wanted to run. She told her coach, 'I want to run, and I want to run fast.' And she did. At one time she was ranked twenty-first in the nation.

"The numbness would begin to set in after the first-mile marker. After that she relied on the momentum, as if on autopilot, to keep moving. Running was doable. Stopping? That was another story. She would cross the finish line with no ability to decelerate.

"For this she depended entirely on one man, her coach. He was a fixture at the races, shouting, encouraging, and prodding, but his greatest contribution was catching. He caught Kayla. He would stand at the finish line awaiting her. She ran right into his arms. She didn’t slow down. He didn’t move. It was no small collision. When he finally was able to halt her forward progress, he would lift her five-feet-one-inch frame in a heap and carry her off the track.

"Over and over she could be heard saying, 'My legs! My legs! Where’d they go? Please help me. Please help me.'

"Over and over the coach assured, 'It’s okay. I got you. I got you."

"He would carry her to a safe spot and give her water and ice. Gradually her body temperature would lower, and the feeling in her legs would return."

Max then says, "This was his pledge to her. 

"This is God’s pledge to us."

We are not in this race of life alone. There is a Friend who is with us all the way and for sure he will be at the end, ready to catch us. Please, please, will you acknowledge that you need him, would you open door of your life and ask him to come in? Would you acknowledge that you need God in your life? Would you?

Yes, yes!