When you hit a wall Stacey Morgan, Membership Manager and Executive Leadership Coach

I had a moment of insanity and decided to run a marathon. Ask any marathoner, and they'll tell you that it's not the race that kills you; it's the training. It's hours upon hours of simply putting on your sneakers and grinding out the miles needed to build the endurance to finish the race. 

On race morning, I was as ready as I could be. After the crack of the starting pistol, I settled into a steady pace, and the miles went by in a blur. But at the midpoint, I started to feel it in my legs. I got slower. I began to pass limping runners, and my knee started to ache. By mile 21, I was exhausted. After over four hours of running, I fantasized about faking an injury so I could stop. I just wanted the race to be over and the pain to end. I had hit the wall. 

Being a mom and leader is like running a marathon; only as soon as you cross one finish line, another race begins. More often than not, it's not the significant life events that wear us out; it's the endless daily grind. It's doing the laundry and making dinner. It's the million parenting decisions that are minor on their own but, when compiled, are overwhelming. Every mom hits the point of exhaustion at some point.

You pray for the stress to end. You hit the wall. 

Back at mile 21, just as I was about to give up, I heard a familiar voice. Up ahead, jumping up and down, were two friends waving their arms and cheering like they were witnessing Olympic history. Their loud confidence in my ability to finish the race was contagious, and I felt my energy level surge back up. 

"I'm doing it! I'm going to make it to the finish!" 

"Yes!" they screamed. "You are doing it!" 

I jogged off and finished the race, each painful step fueled by the love and encouragement of my friends. 

Sometimes, we lack the endurance to keep going. In whatever marathon you may be in - whether that be mothering, marriage, work, financial or spiritual marathons - you don't have to run alone. God offers us another option, one that does not depend on our own inner fortitude as the sole source of our strength. 

Hebrews 11:1 tells us, "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see" (NIV). 

Faith is believing that you will break through that wall with God's help. It's a willingness to surrender your attempts to do it all by yourself and instead rely on his promise that he will give us the endurance we need. Sometimes, that will come in the form of supernatural peace, a miracle or a Bible verse. Sometimes, it will be his divine love, taking the shape of a dear friend, cheering you on from the sidewalk as you take a deep breath and keep running.