Run

So..running this morning made me think about a few things...

First, it's hard. It might not be for some people, but it is for me. I don't particuarily enjoy it right now, but I have to believe that the end result will be worth it. Life is kind of like that sometimes. We don't always enjoy it, or what we are going through but I have to believe that in the end it's worth it. If we don't give up we will one day see that we didn't run in vain.

Second-sometimes you have to push through the pain in order to reap the benefits on the other side. After about half way through our training I have to dig deep to find what it takes to finish. Sometimes life is like that too. We have to dig down deep for faith and strength to make it through current circumstances. We have to rely on God and not ourselves to get us through.

Third-sometimes we need others to run along side us and encourage us to keep going or to even start running. If I didn't have my friend to do this with in the morning it would be really really easy to just stay in bed but becuase I know someone is running with me and someone is counting on me I can get up and go and push through another day of training.

Fourth-sometimes we have to fake it a bit before we actually start to feel comfortable with it. I don't particuarily like to run, but I keep thinking that if I do this now I might one day get to the point where I understand why other people do it and enjoy it so much. Sometimes in my walk I have to keep going, keep doing what I know I need to until I can get to the other side of whatever is holding me back.

Fifth-sometimes taking the focus off of me helps. I've found I'm much more able to go the distance when I'm listening to my music than when I'm just thinking of the next step I have to take. Sometimes in life I get so focused on the next step I miss God in the moment and what He's doing in my life.

Sixth-sometimes I'm blessed to see the light coming up through the darkness and for a moment all is still and bright and the world is new and it's a new day. Sometimes that's the boost I need. Sometimes just knowing that there is hope can get us through some of those difficult times. It can allow us to hang on. In those moments we see the blessings that we have.

Finally-eventually I will be stronger and able to run farther. Eventually it will get easier. It's not always going to be pain and sometime when I've pushed through all of the stuff it takes to get there I'll be able to go the distance. It won't come without pain, falling down a time or two, a day or two off, and probably a lot of prayer :) I don't know why I think my walk with God should be any different. Sometimes I won't feel like living this life as a believer and being who God calls me to be, and sometimes I might stumble and lose my way for a moment, and sometimes I might even want to walk away from it all, but in the end as I stick it out, as I train, as I push through I will reach the goal, and I will do that in my walk as well. As I dig down deep and sink my faith into God, as I look to Him for strength and push on I hope I can not only run the race for myself, but allow others to see that it can be done.

This isn't the end of running, and it's not the end of my walk with God. It's only the beginning. The question is....am I willing to do the work to make it something special. Am I willing to do the work with my relationship with God to make it strong and special as well. I pray the answer is yes becuase I want to be one of the ones at the end of the day that says, " I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. " (2nd Timothy 4:7). Becuase in the end my walk with God is the most important race I'll ever run and the only race worth turely running and finishing well.

" 24 Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! 25 All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. 26 So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. 27 I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified." 1st Corithians 9:24-27

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us." Hebrews 12:1