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One Mile At A Time



Step by step, mile by mile, I refused to think about the big picture. Twenty-six miles was too long. I didn’t know if I could run that distance even though I’d done it before (each race was a new challenge, a new commitment to myself). My goal was one mile at a time, and that was it. It’s always been my goal. One mile a day, no matter what. I told my husband I hoped to beat my time from my last marathon. He said I needed to run seven-minute miles. So, I rested my mind on a seven-minute, one-miler, not on 26.2 miles. I was fully equipped and trained for this because I committed one mile at a time, no matter what.


Some days were great in my training, and some were highly challenging. Some days, I was motivated, and some days, I loved the comfort of my cozy bed like a baby loves his mother’s arms. Yet, no matter what, one mile a day was typically doable. On the days when even one mile was too hard, I laced up my shoes and stepped outside anyway.


And though your beginning was small, your latter days will be very great. Job 8:7


I knew what quitting was like and refused to return to that life. It was easy to give up when I was stuck in endless defeat when I believed Satan's endless lies like gospel truth and when I imagined change should be significant, an overhaul of life, and perfect. 


We are made for more than we’ll ever imagine. But how do we get past the misery, struggle, and limiting beliefs when stuck? Lie by lie, we embrace our misery, but step by step, slow and faithful, we walk into the life God calls us to. 


One of Satan’s ways of controlling our lives is by tempting us to focus on the big picture. A marathon is too long. Our marriage is too far gone. My kids are too messed up. That dream is impossible. With this big-picture thinking, we never begin. We might start, but we quickly grow weary and quit because the big picture taunts us of its impossibility, like a squirrel taunts a dog. 


When I scanned the portrait of my life and saw how much change was needed and how many dreams I had stored in my heart, everything felt impossible. When I scaled back to small steps, I began to see progress. Small beginnings lead to great things, but we must surrender the big picture to God. We must trust He will bless our steps as we move forward daily. 


Thankfully, God is present in our small beginnings. His presence in our small steps helps us show up daily. Our faithfulness to small steps will culminate in a dream acknowledged when we run a mile daily, no matter what. What’s your one mile a day? Where has God asked you to grow? I implore you to entrust it to Him and begin small.


I ran a seven-minute mile, conquering my fastest marathon that day. I didn’t run a marathon, though. I ran one seven-minute mile at a time. That’s it.




“The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way.” Psalm 37:23

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