Start running...

"Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we'd better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!"

-Hebrews 12:1-3

I get these ideas in my head.

Like, “I want to do this.”  “God wants me to do this.”  

Those thoughts aren’t wrong, what is wrong are when they become;

“This is what I have to do.”  “I think this is what God wants me to do.”

These thoughts may not have changed much, but what they say about my mind and what I am thinking is a drastic shift.  

 I went from a simple desire, to a must.  

 I put what I want in front of God, aka I made my desire my idol.   

For me this happens more than I would like to admit, especially in terms of future plans.

 

So often, things that once brought us closer to God begin to consume our every thought.  Our obsession with them results in a perversion of their original beauty.  We take a gift from our father and instead of using it to come to him, it distracts us from the goodness He desires to display in it.  

When I first started running outside, I used it as a time of prayer and devotion.  Praying thanks for the beauty in His Creation, strength and wisdom for my day,  protection for my loved ones, and random other thoughts that were weighing me down.  

 

 As time carried on my runs morphed from a devotional time to getting the best workout possible.  I was too busy worrying about how quickly I could do my miles I was missing the stress relief of giving my day and worries to my Father.  What once was a time I eagerly anticipated of relaxation and rejuvenation became something I loathed.  Communion with Him became harder to do while running, and eventually I did not want to run as much.

God is good.

 This summer He has helped me slow down, come back to him, and see the beauty in our time spent together while running.  He has brought back the internal desire to get out there and just relax and tell Him how my days are going, what I desire, what I fear.  

 After runs where I have not prayed I find myself worn out mentally and physically.  But when I let Him run with me, I find myself able to run longer and feeling mentally refreshed.  It is He who gives me a strength greater than I could ever imagine.   

He truly has strengthened me so I may, “run and not grow weary … walk and not be faint” (Isa 40:31).

In our fast-paced world, it is easy to become distracted with whatever “good thing” God has given us and pervert it into an idol.   

It is only human nature.   

I encourage you to slow down and determine what in your life you are putting before our Father.  Maybe you will realize why something that once was so freeing has become so imprisoning.  It is better to find out for yourself and change than to have to go through something devastating in order to get your attention, trust me...  The refining fire burns, but you come out with closer to the refiner with "pure joy" (James 1) having persevered.

Give it up to Him.

 Let Him renew your soul,

re-open your eyes to the goodness He has given you.

It is beautiful

 and He wants to share the beauty of freedom with you.

"In this all-out match against sin, others have suffered far worse than you, to say nothing of what Jesus went through—all that bloodshed! So don't feel sorry for yourselves. Or have you forgotten how good parents treat children, and that God regards you as his children?

   My dear child, don't shrug off God's discipline,
      but don't be crushed by it either.
   It's the child he loves that he disciplines;
      the child he embraces, he also corrects.

God is educating you; that's why you must never drop out. He's treating you as dear children. This trouble you're in isn't punishment; it's training, the normal experience of children. Only irresponsible parents leave children to fend for themselves. Would you prefer an irresponsible God? We respect our own parents for training and not spoiling us, so why not embrace God's training so we can truly live? While we were children, our parents did what seemed best to them. But God is doing what is best for us, training us to live God's holy best. At the time, discipline isn't much fun. It always feels like it's going against the grain. Later, of course, it pays off handsomely, for it's the well-trained who find themselves mature in their relationship with God."

-Hebrews 12:4-11

 These are pictures of things I see throughout my runs.