I Ran One Day

     I have decided to become a runner!  Outrageous, yet obtainable.  Crazy?  Maybe.  As a child I was never athletic.  Clumsy is a better description.  I remember when I convinced my parents to let me play softball.  "All" the other girls were, afterall.  Oh, I was so proud of my red T-shirt with "Road Runners" printed across the front.  I can still smell the leather of my new glove.  The glories of being on a team!
     The glories of being on a team were short-lived.  It didn't take long for the coaches to realize I could neither hit nor catch a ball.  So, they sent me out to the side with an older boy to practice catching and throwing.  What was meant to be helpful became an embarrassment.  Singled out, not because of ability, my inability was clear to all.
     As the decades have passed since that summer long ago, I have never joined another sports team.  I have envied those who are able to play a sport or dance with beautiful grace.  Walking has been my great attempt to be physically active.
     One year ago my doctor asked what I would like to see myself doing at this time this year.  My answer:  I want to run a 5K.  I've thought about it.  Really!  I have even run little patches of my occasional walks.  Suddenly, though,  I realized a year has passed, and though my thoughts have run all around the idea, my body hasn't.  Time is wasting.  It's time to act.
     I downloaded an app for my iPhone.  Bought the thing to wear it on my arm.  Bought new shoes.  And I ran one day.  It was fun!  By the end of that first session I was exhausted!  By the time we drove back home my legs were sore!  (Yes, for you runners, I did stretch.)  Three days a week is all it says to run, and for that I am grateful!  To be honest, this morning I wasn't sure my body would move that way today.  God must have seen my weakness, for He gave me something else.
     My husband and I are at Sloppy Floyd Park to escape the busyness of life at home.  This is a beautiful place with several hiking trails.  We set off this morning to go to the old Marble Mine.  The sun was warm enough, but not hot.  The leaves were full of color.  The hike was fun,not hard, a pleasant time of chatting and walking.  Then we rounded the curve.  Uphill.  Straight up.  Mt. Everest up!  I was determined to make it.
     About half-way up Connally asked if I wanted to stop.  No!  I was sure that if I stopped I would never start again.  It was tough.  It was worth it.  At the top of my Mt. Everest was the old marble mine.  A quiet, cool pond greeted us at the mouth of the cave.  The park service had even built a bench there and bridges to we could get closer to the tunnels (which are blocked off).  It was an oasis, a place of solitude to enjoy on a beautiful October day.
     After a little while of looking around and making pictures we headed back.  Back at the Jeep I was thrilled about the morning.  Even though the trail was called Marble Mine Trail, we had no idea we would find such a beautiful place.  In the process I had pushed myself to keep going even though I wasn't sure I could make it.  I didn't need to run, and my body felt strong.
     Second Corinthians 12:9 says God's strength is made perfect in my weakness.  He is giving me grace each day.  When I finally start to walk and run He give me breath. He moves my legs.  He even got me up that steep trail!
     You see, I want to reach the 5K goal so badly because I know I can't do it alone.  Only by the grace of God will it happen.  This gal who couldn't run as a child, who hasn't ever been a physically active person, knows that taking care of this old body is important.  I need to be healthy and strong to continue serving my Lord.  I want to be able to work where people are hurting and need help.  There is much to be done and I want to be on the front lines!
     Why running?  Like I said before, because I know I can't do it alone.  The benfit?  A healthier body.  The glory?  It all belongs to Jesus!  The lesson?  I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!  (Philippians 4:13)
    I hestiated to use that verse here, but it's true.  Isn't it wonderful that the word ALL really means ALL when you read it in the Bible?  Whatever it is you are facing and having difficulty with - Running.  Sickness.  Unemployment.  Family.  Education.  Losing weight.  Fill in your blank _______________________.  I can - YOU can - do it!  You can do it because Jesus Christ gives you the strength to do it.  When the verse says, "Strengthens me," it means, "to put power in."  It reminds me of a light bulb - just a glass bubble with some filaments inside until I flip a switch, but when the power is put into it, it shines!
     I did run the day after that hike.  I am so glad God blessed me with an uphill challenge to see some of His beautiful creation.  In facing that challenge I got to work muscles that gave me more energy and helped me grow stronger.  That next day was damp and dreary and cold.  I knew if I didn't do something I would face defeat, so I plugged in the treadmill, grabbed my iPhone and started walking.  At the end of 30 minutes I had not only completed day two, but had a stronger faith in God.  He had proven His word and given me strength, physical strength to do it!
     Yesterday I said to my mom, "Well, I did day two of my 5K training."  She asked, "Who got you into that?"  Not really the response I was looking for, but OK.  It's a good question.   Why AM I doing this?  What is the purpose?  I could keep walking and be healthy.  I could keep going just like I am.  Rushing around and squeezing in a little time to hopefully walk a couple of days each week.  Here's why: 
     There is more out there than I take advantage of.  God has bigger plans for me than doing "just enough."  I want to learn to step out in faith to try to do the things I never thought I could.  I want to run the race set before me with endurance.  I want to face the life He wants me to live knowing that all the effort it takes, in all the hard moments when I really want to give up, I have (in Christ) the determination to keep going.
     One day soon I will cross a finish line and complete at 5K run.  What a day that will be!  One day I ran, and one day I will see the result.
     What about you, friend?  Spiritually speaking the finish line is the end of this physical life.  Are you growing in Christ?  Have you even started running the race He put you here for?  Like Esther, we are here at this place in time for a moment such as this.  Dont miss out.  Don't keep "getting by."  Surrender your life to Christ.  Allow Him to be your Lord.  Face the challenges He puts before you. Never give up - even on the dreary days. 
     You see, when I cross the finish line of my first race I want to hear my family and friends rejoice and say, "You did it!"  When I cross the line from my earthly life to heaven, I want to hear God say, "Well done."

Wasted Days and Wasted Nights

Make the best use of your time, because the days are evil.  Ephesians 5:16

     How much time do you waste each day?  It's a good and important question.  Answering it truthfully may not be easy.  Now that the days are shorter I am trying to be more careful of what I do after 3:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.  It is hard to get "it all" done. 
     For over two weeks, my husband and I have been running ourselves to the point of exhaustion.  Thank goodness for DVR because we haven't been home to watch NCIS!  Unfortunately, life doesn't have a DVR to store precious moments to live out later.  Time is an important issue for me.  And God knows that.
     Some things just have to happen.  Job.  Laundry.  Mowing grass (well, one or two more times this year).  Some things are easier to leave undone, but usually the person that is impacted by those things is me.  Obligation, or maybe guilt, drives me a lot of the time.  Who will do it if I don't?  A better question is, am I doing (this thing) out of a sense of duty or out of love?
     What bothers me about being so busy is all the wasted time.  Running around, taking care of this and that, leaves me frazzled and fatiqued.  In two weeks we have grabbed whatever food we drove passed and inhaled it so as to save time for all the stuff we are doing.
     We have been talking a lot at our church lately about having a heart to serve others.  I am neglecting my family to hurry and serve other people.  It's time for me to take back some time.  This past Sunday our ladies class talked about the little things we do daily that serve the people close to us.  I need to cook a meal for my husband.  Poor Caitlin came home for a long weekend and never got a home-cooked meal. 
     The things we have been doing are necessary.  They are important.  However, I think it is crazy to keep going like this and miss time that can't be reclaimed.  Beginning now I am going to make a concentrated effort to give my family some of my time every day.  I know I have to be realistic and admit that I probably won't cook a meal every night.  We do have things in our lives that require a lot of our time.  Maybe I should watch that "Almost Homemade" show!
     Seriously, I don't want to miss anymore time.  I have too many blessings to rush around taking them for granted or ignoring them altogether.  God has given me people to love and who love me more than I deserve. Yes, I do want to be sure I am reaching out to share the love of Christ in big and small ways with all the people who come into my life each day.  Yes, I do want to be sure I am reaching in to share the love of Christ in big and small ways with the people who live in my home. 
     As the song goes, time keeps on slippin' into the future.  What are you missing?  You can't push the the rewind button on the DVR in real life.  Don't let another minute pass you by unlived.  Guard your time so that you enjoy friendships.  Plan your day so that mundane tasks get done and you have time to sit and talk - even if for just a few minutes.  Decide what you are going to do to minister...to strangers and to your closest and dearest family and friends.  We don't have time to waste!