I went out for a 4 mile run. It started raining lightly at about 1 1/2 miles. At almost 2 miles, it started to downpour, and the wind was blowing hard. I stopped under a pine tree to see if it would let up. After a few minutes, it lightened up a little, but the wind was still strong. I was cooling off, so I started running. I had a decision to make: stop early or finish my 4 miles. It would have been easy to give up (cold, windy, wet), but I didn’t want to stop just because it got a little tough. Sometimes, life is hard. So I kept going. I thought about what I tell my students when times get difficult, and I started focusing on the positive and counting my blessings. 

• I was already wet, so why not keep running? 
• I was provided shelter when the rain was at it’s hardest. 
• I was physically capable of running. 
• I was going to finish my 4 miles. 
• I had my best pace of the season.
• I was on Spring Break. 
• It was Saturday. No, wait…it was Friday (Spring Break brain). 

Then I thought about what Friday it was, Good Friday. I reflected on Jesus’ agony on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins, my sins. I thought about the pain of being ridiculed, mocked, physically beaten, and the torture of crucifixion. I prayed a prayer of thanks as I finished my cold, rainy run with a very grateful heart for the love of God.