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Hitting the Wall . . .

5/30/2020

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For the first time in 124 years, the Boston Marathon has been cancelled due to the pandemic. Now, I’ve never run a marathon for one main reason. I never wanted to. I ran a 10K once in college and that was enough.

Ironically, we are all in a marathon of sorts here with the pandemic, and there is a phenomenon in the marathon world that might be worthwhile to take note of during this time . . . it’s called hitting the wall.



In layman’s terms it means to experience sudden fatigue and loss of energy because the energy stores in the body are depleted. It usually happens in the last third of the race. The result? Weakness, headaches, dizziness, along with other symptoms. Some racers give up at that point, but the more experienced have learned how to run through it and even how to prepare in advance to avoid it.

I don’t know where we are in this pandemic (I doubt it is the final third), but I think we all have or will “hit our wall.” Whatever novelty to the shutdown that was there in the early days is long gone. The house has shrunk, the hair is unmanageable, the internet needs are crashing into each other, the bills are increasing, the stressors multiplying. Our energy stores are wiped out. We are experiencing all kinds of unhealthy side effects. Even as the world begins to open back up, restrictions still remain, and we want to quit. We want normal life back.

Unlike marathon runners, we didn’t have a chance to prepare, and though I am in no way a psychologist, I think we might be able to glean a couple of useful tips from those marathoners to make it to our own finish line.

Though the marathon is a race, the two main suggestions to survive the wall are to . . . walk and eat. In our lingo––rest and nourish.

If possible, give yourself a break . . . any kind of break . . . for whatever length of time you can generate––mind and body. Break from responsibility, from expectations, from walls. Walk. Figuratively and literally.

Second, eat––feed body, mind, spirit. Sometimes that means taking "food" in . . . and sometimes that means giving "food" to others. Both are nourishing.

Finally, always, always, always realize that we are NOT in this alone.

But those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.


Isaiah 40:31



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Is This the Next . . . ?

5/23/2020

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On December 6, 1941, the father of a colleague of mine was sprinting down the University of Hawaii football field, a football in his hands, a running back for the San Jose State football team. The next morning, December 7, 1941, he had a rifle thrust into those same hands and his life, and the life he had planned, changed instantly. 

There have been a lot of comparisons between the Great Depression and the coronavirus shutdown: long bread lines and unimaginable unemployment rates being just two of them. But there is one comparison that has not been made . . .

Every generation has its share of greatness. Individuals rising to the top despite the odds or obstacles to achieve great feats. However, rarely does an entire generation have to surmount those odds and obstacles.

One of those generations was the one that saw WW II interrupt their lives and put their dreams on either hold or cancel them completely. But because of their willingness to accept the sacrifices that had to be made and do what needed to be done to help bring their country back to stability and greatness, Tom Brokaw labeled them The Greatest Generation. 

This year––2020––the youngest of that generation (born 1901-1927) will turn 90. At the same time another entire generation has seen their lives interrupted and their dreams put on hold. I am just wondering. Will this be the next Greatest Generation? 

Already, I have been impressed with what these young people are doing in the midst (we aren’t even to the wake yet) of the pandemic. And I am sure this is just the tip of the iceberg. We did not learn of all the sacrifices and contributions to the war effort during WWII until much later, and even then not all. Thousands of young people (men and women) joinied the armed forces, or signed up with factories, or grew victory gardens. Whatever needed to be done, they did, without fanfare. 
I don’t know what will be expected of this generation. Whether they will just be asked to wait . . . or if there will be more opportunities to act. But I do know that God does not make mistakes, and he has chosen this particular group of young people to experience this disruption at this time, for His glory and purpose. May they listen and may God bless them.


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When Memories Turn Painful . . .

5/16/2020

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It was just an ordinary intersection, but it was the one on which stood the doctor’s office that I had spent some of the last year accompanying my father to as he went to his appointments. The sight of that left turn caused my heart to tighten. Such a small memory for such a big pain.

Loss does that, doesn’t it? When you least expect it, a little reminder will pop up, and your heart constricts, your eyes moisten, and you wonder, will it ever end? 


Any loss––friendship, spouse, family member––is painful. And, depending on the circumstances of that loss—rejection, divorce, death—the aftermath can vary in intensity. 

Of course, not all memories in the aftermath of my loss are painful. For me, the earlier memories with Dad––trips, holidays, working on my backyard––all bring a smile to my face and some very good stories. The later ones–– such as our final trip together where he met his youngest great-grandchild and saw family members and high school classmates for the last time––are more poignant. 

No, the painful ones have been the small reminders of his health struggles and his valiant and silent fight against them. He never complained. He never let on. He just kept fighting. And it hurts when I see something that reminds me of that.

But, I am reminded that God saw those times too, and sees my struggles as I deal with these feelings now, and reminds me that currently “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted . . .” (Psalm 34:18), and one day “He will wipe every tear from their eyes . . .” (Revelation 21:4).


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Civil War . . .

5/9/2020

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I get it now. I can see how it happens: how ideology against ideology, belief versus belief, and deep contrasting political convictions regarding  the government's reach on individual freedoms can turn friend against friend and brother against brother.

It happened in the Civil War and it looks like it is happening again––in 2020––because of Covid-19.


CBS posted a humorous look at this clash of values, as kids are rising up in protest against their parents: one fining her mother for putting corn in the chili, one group of siblings taking their mother hostage and making her take a nap in their room with the light on, while another young boy took his new-found knowledge of the American Revolution to create his own country and manifesto and then deny his parents the right to enter his bedroom.

These are the light moments, but there are tense moments as well, as disagreements about the cause, the threat, and the appropriate reaction surface among adults.

As I watch the various news outlets and listen to different reports and opinions, I am struck by one very real consistency: There are definitely two sides, manifested most simply by those wanting to go back to work protesting at the very same time as those not wanting to be at work.

Covid-19 itself is a physical threat, whether or not we all agree on the severity of it. Let’s not let it also threaten the very fabric of our relationships as well.

These are stressful times for everyone. Even in the best of times we don’t agree on all issues, so maybe now is a good time to say very little and not try to convince others of the rightness of our position, but instead be respectful of others' position and act instead. Perhaps we should adhere to the advice of Romans 12:10-13:

Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.


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Refocus . . .

5/2/2020

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“For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places” (Matthew 24:7; Luke 21:11).

“And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring” (Luke 21:25).

Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires (Peter 3:3; Jude 1:18).

It is at times like these––when fear and the unknown rip through the world; when nature seems out of control; when factions are at complete odds with each other; when right and wrong are turned on their head––that many people wonder if the world is coming to an end. Are the end times foretold of in the Bible near? The answer . . . ?

Who knows. 

For as Matthew 24:36 says, “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”

But we do know this. That every generation has had reason to believe that Christ’s return might be during their time, such as those who lived during . . .

. . . the Black Plague of the 14th century.
. . . World War I and the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918.
. . . the rise and atrocities of Hitler.
. . . the terrorist attacks of 9/11.
. . . the earthquakes and tsunamis, human rights atrocities, and now this pandemic. 

And like every successive generation, we too have reason to believe that the end times are near, and it is definitely closer, for today there are ways to insert information into both the hand and the forehead, and the rationale for a cashless society is justifiable, both of which would facilitate the realization of the prophecy of Revelation 13. The perceived need for a world leader is getting stronger (Revelation 13). The Russia/Iran alliance spoken of in Ezekiel 38-39 is moving forward. Through technology we now see how the entire world can hear the gospel and watch the two witnesses killed and resurrected in Jerusalem (Revelation 11). And the ID2020 initiative to number everyone in the world is underway.

And yet while all of this is disturbing or enlightening (depending on what you believe or don’t believe), I was reminded during a family discussion not long ago that the when of Christ’s return is not our primary concern. That time will come when it comes.

However, times like these are to remind us that the time of His coming is near, but rather than spend our time   guessing when that time will be, we are to use this time to refocus on what we should be doing . . . which is . . .

Be ready: “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him” (Matthew 42-44).

And what does “be ready” look like?

Be holy: “But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy” (I Peter 15-16).

And if the time is near, what responsibility do Christians have?

Share your faith:  “[Jesus] said to them: ‘It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth’” (Acts 1:7-8).

There will be an end, and it is always getting closer. There will be a time when every person on earth will have had the opportunity to hear the gospel and then either believe or reject the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Once that happens, it will be time. Are you ready?





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    Author

    Jody Eileen Solinski spent her career teaching in the California public school system where she enjoyed helping young adults take their place in society. A native Californian, she enjoys the outdoors and so loves living in Northern California where she can enjoy the beauty of God’s creation up close.

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