Race AND Wait

So I have been training with a buddy for a 10k race for the past 6 weeks.  He invested in this plan online and decided that it was the perfect way to end the racing season.  I found a way to swing the training also and signed up for the race.  I was excited about the prospect of putting my effort into a good plan and seeing what I could achieve.
The race was last weekend on the 16th and because it lined up with the fall break, we made a family vacation out of it.  To make a long story shorter, the race went great!  I felt great the few days before the race and went out there feeling like I had nothing to lose and I might as well lay it on the line -- so I did.  I finished over a minute and a half under the goal time I had set and trained for and made it to the podium taking first in my age group and 5th overall.  It felt awesome!  What really is remarkable though is in some of the events surrounding my race.
As I arrived at the venue, I noticed a fellow runner warming up for the race.  He looked like he might be familiar, but at the same time I knew I hadn't met him before.  I wasn't sure how to describe it then, but in retrospect it seems the Lord pointed him out to me - made me notice him for some reason.  Not thinking much of it, and being excited for the race, I brushed the notion aside and began my own warm-up routine.  As we filed into the starting chute I found myself standing by this man.  I introduced myself and found out a little about him. His name was Josh.  I introduced Josh to my running buddy who had just showed up, and small talked a bit.  I found out he was shooting for the same time I was, yet he seemed a little less confident about going for it than I was.  I suggested in a non-committal way that we might run together and he replied with the same "yeah maybe" type of feeling. 
I was determined to start fast, and so I found my place in the first hundred yards of the race behind the front three.  That was where I stayed too - I was passed in the first half mile by the guy who ended up finishing just in front of my, but that was it.  I spent the rest of the time somewhat isolated on the course.  As it turned out I didn't run with anyone.
After the finish I quickly found a position on the last corner to stand on and cheer the runners coming in.  Josh was the next one I knew to come in.  After his finish I introduced him to my family and he hung around us for the next half hour or so.  I remember being surprised with his comfort with us and have felt a sense of regret since then that I didn't build a better relationship with this man.
It dawned on my the next day in Sunday school.  We were studying Isaiah 40:28-31 which includes the verse "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; and they shall run, and not be weary; and shall walk, and not faint."  I knew in that moment that this is exactly what had happened.  The Lord was teaching me how to race and wait upon Him.  He had given me the opportunity to lift another - an opportunity that I didn't fully take advantage of for two reasons.  First, I was ill-prepared - I didn't have a Book of Mormon with me, and second, I was distracted by my race.  I felt then and feel now that the Lord will provide me opportunities to lift others and share the gospel if I will but look for them (I feel that he will allow me to race well this way too).  This learning has excited me - I can't wait to "wait!" 

BYUtv - Treasure In Heaven

BYUtv - Treasure In Heaven