Life is a Marathon

Elder Levi Soller
Sep 21, 2016
6 min read

So this week's e-mail will almost entirely be a spiritual thought:

This week was very different. Full of tests. I started the week beginning to return back to that missionary I was when I first came out full of that fire and unwavering drive. I'm not saying that I didn't have that at all, it just wasn't like it used to be. We did very well and were able to talk to a lot of people, however we contacted everyone on the progress record and the list the previous elders left us and every single person was busy.

I'm not going to lie to you guys, a mission is difficult. Do people yell at us? Yes. Do people slam the door in our faces? Yes. Do people schedule lessons with us just to argue? Yes. Do we get made fun of? Yes. Do we come home with our shirts drenched in sweat? Yes! (Perks of being in a biking area in possibly the hottest place in Colorado.) I have gotten 3 flat tires in the past week. A mission is difficult. Why do I do it?? I came out on my mission because I had an overwhelming desire to help anyone and everyone come closer to Christ. Why am I staying? I am staying on my mission because of the Love that I have for my Savior as well as those we are teaching or not teaching.

My companion and I decided to go out and teach people because it was irritating me that we weren't getting anyone who was available and we honestly weren't doing much. Weekly planning this past week I think is exactly what we needed. We sat down and looked at all the people we have to possibly work with. (Less-Actives, Investigators that previously had a baptismal date, Potential Investigators, etc.) We set very high goals for this week, however, we prayed about it and were able to recognize that our goals did not need to change. Thursday, I had a renewed sense of motivation that seemed to be shot down by Satan on Friday.

Friday - I woke up sick with a cold. I got up, studied, then tried to go back to bed after taking a shower. I spent a majority of the morning crying because of a lot of little things that built up and I had the following thoughts: "I don't know how much longer I can do this, I don't know how much longer I can stay out." I was honestly thinking about coming home. I wasn't going to make the decision then, I had decided to give it until the end of the year and see from there. (Something I learned from running) I then asked a member that I have grown close to over the past few weeks for a blessing so he came over to our member's house and was more than willing to give me a priesthood blessing. The blessing was incredible and I was filled with peace that I don't believe I have ever felt before. I then spent the rest of the day trying to recover from the illness and studying the scriptures. There was a thought that came to me then that helped me to CHOOSE to stay out. "All storms come to an end." I recognized that this was a storm in my life and I knew that this would also pass at some point. I also was reminded about the preparation I went through before I came out. I was training for a marathon before I left. I ran a half marathon in November and was continuing my training for the full marathon in January right before I left on my mission. I decided after I ran the half that I was very happy with my time and needed to focus more on preparing for my mission than running a race. I decided to not run the race, but still run and somehow use it to help me prepare. I wasn't running as much, but I still got up every morning and ran a few miles, however this time I was focusing on the fact that I KNEW a mission would be difficult. I decided to focus my thoughts on that. "What am I going to do when the "hills" come?" I started thinking about that while I was running and I built up my mental capacity more than I thought possible. This past week has been a test of that training that I so thoughtfully prepared for. It's not what you do if the storm comes, but how you REACT to it when it does because storms will come in our lives, we can't get around that. I am so very grateful for that preparation because I had only 1 REALLY bad day. I got it all out and was able to 'rebound' quickly from that. This is the very experience that I was preparing for before my mission. I have a renewed motivation for missionary work that is even stronger than when I came out which is stemmed from the love that I have for my Savior as well as the people I am serving.

The Good Wolf

An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy.

“It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.” He continued, “The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too.”

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”

The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”

I have woken up every day since Friday and made a conscious decision to feed the good wolf.

I want you all to know that I am doing a lot better and am so very grateful for how quickly I was able to 'rebound.' I testify to you all that life is a marathon. I am so very grateful for my love of running. I still run on my mission and it has helped me through a lot in the past and recently. There will be 'hills' in our lives, however they will only make us stronger. Not only will there be hills, but there will be a point in your life where you will hit a wall. Many runners know of this wall. "Hitting the wall means feeling a sudden urge to quit, encountering an almost tangible barrier that requires a tremendous effort to overcome. It often comes at about the twenty-mile mark." (Joseph B. Wirthlin)

Here is a quote from a talk given by Joseph B. Wirthlin in October of 1989 that a very close friend of mine recently showed me.

"A young friend of mine, whom I will call Alan, recently ran his first marathon—a distance of 26.2 miles. He had set his goal several months in advance, learned what preparation was required, and disciplined himself to follow a rigorous training schedule. He sought the advice of experienced runners and read articles on running a marathon. He practiced running the marathon route and planned a strategy for traversing the hilly course.

Finally, the day of the marathon arrived; it would be the culmination of months of training, discipline, and sacrifice. He got off to a good start in a large crowd of runners. He felt strong and confident, following his predetermined strategy. About eight miles into the race, on a downhill part of the course, he caught up with an experienced runner, Brent by name, who had given him sound advice during his training. Alan decided to match his stride to Brent’s disciplined and experienced pace.

As they passed the eighteen-mile mark, Alan struggled to stay with Brent so someone he knew would be by his side if he began “hitting the wall.”

Hitting the wall means feeling a sudden urge to quit, encountering an almost tangible barrier that requires a tremendous effort to overcome. It often comes at about the twenty-mile mark.

For the next two miles, Alan kept pace with Brent. Then it hit him. He felt a sudden loss of energy, an almost overwhelming desire to stop or walk. “Stay with me,” Brent said. “We all feel it at some point. You can get through it. I’ll help pull you through.”"

We all go through that at some point although every experience is different. I testify that through our faith and diligence, Christ will "Help pull us through" if we CHOOSE to let him. :)

Attached are a couple images, as well as pictures from when I ran two different half marathons. I hope you all keep running your marathon and lean unto the strength that you can receive from Christ if you let him in and keep pushing through the hills and the occasional wall. I love you all and hope you have a wonderful week and remember to ALWAYS feed the good wolf!