Becoming Whole in 26.2 Miles Part 3: The Courage to Feel it All- Perseverance, & Purpose in the Pain

From Moved By Grace Counseling Radio · 00:27:44

Show by Anna Valentine

What if the most meaningful part of the journey isn’t crossing the finish line, but who we become along the way?In Part Three of Becoming Whole in 26.2 Miles, I’m sharing three of the biggest lessons I took away from running the 2026 Chicago Marathon. And while these lessons came from running 26.2 miles, I believe they apply to so much more—our faith, our mental health, our relationships, and the difficult seasons we all walk through.In this episode, I’m talking about:​Let there be no doubt. Why I believe we have to approach life’s challenges with faith and confidence, even when we don’t know exactly how things will unfold.​Be in it for the long haul. Why the journey matters just as much as the destination, and how God often does His greatest work in us during the process.​The courage to feel it all. Why pain and discomfort aren’t always things we need to escape, and what psychology teaches us about emotional avoidance, numbing, and learning to sit with difficult experiences.I also share some reflections from race day, including what I noticed about the different ways people cope with physical discomfort and how that reminded me of the ways we sometimes try to numb emotional pain in everyday life.As a counselor, I’ve seen how easy it is to want to avoid uncomfortable feelings. But as a Christian, I’m continually reminded that God doesn’t promise us a life without suffering. He promises to be with us through it.Scripture for this episode:“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus.” — Hebrews 12:1–2My hope is that this episode encourages you to keep showing up, trust God with the process, and remember that you don’t have to rush through or numb the difficult parts of life.Whether you’re training for a race, navigating motherhood, walking through grief, or simply trying to make it through a challenging season, I hope you’ll remember that there is purpose in the process.You don’t have to love every mile. But you can allow every mile to shape you.Thank you for being here and continuing this journey with me!

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