Saturday, January 4, 2014

God in the Race Forecast

God doesn't always have to show up in big ways to show up.  While praying regularly this fall, He showed up in a small way to let me know He was listening...and that He had a sense of humor.

A dear friend of mine had been training for many, many months for her first-ever half marathon.  I desperately wanted to be there to cheer her on, so I planned to attend the race and told her as much.  As the race day approached, the forecast was cold and gloomy.  One day she called to tell me I shouldn't come watch her because it would be a yucky way to spend a Saturday, etc. etc.

I can be pretty stubborn, so I told her I was still planning to come and I was going to start praying for sunshine and 60-degree weather.

On the morning of her race, I looked up the hourly forecast.  The race started at 9am, and she expected to be running until noon.  This is what I saw in picture icons for the hourly forecast:

6am - cloudy
7am - cloudy
8am - cloudy
9am - partly sunny
10am - sunny
11am - sunny
12pm - cloudy

I wish I had scanned a copy of that forecast!  What are the chances?!?!

Now, in full disclosure, the words underneath the sunny icons from 9-12 said "windy" and the temperatures never got as high as 60 degrees, but the pictures for those 3 hours she was running were enough to let me know God was listening to my prayers.

And in case you're wondering, my friend did GREAT!  I was so proud of her.  The hilly course was a challenge for the most experienced of runners, and she completed the whole thing as her first ever half marathon.  What an incredible woman!