As she’s running the race, she stumbles and falls.

She lay there, unsure of her ability to get up.

Lifting her head, she saw them cheering for her. Resolute, she struggled up and stumbled on.

As she ran, she felt the joy of following the path so graciously chosen for her, but it wasn’t long before, once again, she lost her balance.

She lay, face down in the pavement, trying to decide what to do. Her legs were burning, her back aching. Laying there seemed beneficial to her body. She could feel herself relaxing. It was over. She would lose, but at least the pain of continuing had stopped. Painfully lifting her scraped and bloodied face, she looked up.

Then she saw his eyes. The mixture of pity, encouragement and love broke through her hardened heart. She knew she should get up and continue. It was her intended purpose.

Instead, she lay there, as the race continued on, torn between the comfort of the pavement and the encouragement in his eyes.