Phl 2:8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

When I think about the mentality of us runners, I am baffled sometimes. I ran a race today, and I could not believe the hills. While I was running, I thought to myself..”this is self torture”. Anyway, I am sure that many of you have placed yourself in a race that you were not quite expecting the difficulty level of the hills or whatever it may have been that day. Then I was thinking, this torture only benefits me in the end. I gain another race under my feet, I feel good about myself when I cross the finish line and most of the world is still sleeping or overstuffing themselves with sugary sweets or fried somethings. “I” receive approval and praise from friends and family, and I get a nice shirt. Unless, I am running for a benefit, it’s basically all about me. I know there is more to it than that, but that is part of it.

To think that Jesus, who is God, came down to the earth as one of us lowly humans, and sacrificed himself, even unto death on the cross all for selfish people! He needed no gain from this..He did it all for us! Have you ever considered what a death on the cross meant. He was tortured, and He choose this path for us. How marvelous that we might live! If you have never watched the movie, The Passion of the Christ, this is a good depiction of what His death may have been like. He deserves all of the glory. How thankful we are that he rose from the dead. Historically, there is nothing more accurate! Read the book of John or another gospel. Let’s be amazed at Him and not ourselves! Run for His glory!

3Jo 1:2 Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.

Well, I haven’t written on the blog for a few days. I’ve been a little under the weather, but now, I am up an running. I am thankful for my health. I take it for granted so often. I feel blessed every morning to be able to get up and walk. Let us all be thankful for God’s grace. Whether we have perfect health or not, we have so much to be thankful for everyday! I pray that you all are well in soul and health!

Psa 17:5 My steps have held fast to your paths; my feet have not slipped.

Today, a friend and I were doing speed work. Speed work is so hard for me. Anyway, today, the track had wet grass on parts of it for some reason. As I rounded the curves, I concentrated on my foot steps so that I would not slip.

In the same way with our walk with God, we must hold fast to our paths. We must keep in step with His truth and word. His path will keep us from slipping.

Psa 119:162 I rejoice at your word like one who finds great spoil

Nothing like a nice cup of coffee to jump start an early morning run! My morning ritual, as you know is to get up read my Bible and have a little coffee to get me through the morning. One day, I overslept and had to run out the door to meet my friend to run. It was an early am run, so I could not cancel. No one should run in the dark alone! Anyway, I didn’t have my usual coffee and I did not read my Bible until later. My body felt a bit slow as we were taking our usual run. Anyway, reading the Word is the best way to get your mind going in the right direction in the mornings. Take a few extra minutes to read and pray. See how it goes for a while, and this will soon become a daily habit for you. Blessings!

The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth”--Psalm 145:18

I was looking forward to a nice easy run in the beautiful fall weather this afternoon. I had class all weekend, and I mean all weekend (Friday-Sunday). I could not wait to just go outside and feel the natural air in my lungs and the warm sunshine on my skin. However, as soon as I walked out of my house and onto the road, a heaviness came over me. I felt heavy in heart and body. I felt that my legs would hardly go because my mind was preoccupied with some issues that hit me when I got home from class. So many different trials seem to be present at this time. However, sometimes, I can easily escape the anxieties. However, today was different. As soon as I began running, I began praying diligently. The run seemed to not get any easier because I was so intense in my thoughts and prayers. However, I was praying for others on my mind as well, that I felt so heavily burdened for at the time. Right when I was at my half way point, which was a short distance, a truck slowed down and the man inside rolled down his window. Af first, I thought it was someone asking for directions. The look on my face must have been so serious, because my mind was in that mode. Then I realized, it was some friends. The man and his wife have been long time family friends. They are such a family of faith and prayer. I often go to the wife for words of wisdom and advice. Anyway, I have never seen this couple driving through the town in which I live. God knew exactly what I needed because the man said..”we are praying for y’all”. I felt as though God sent those encouraging words my way at the right time to let me know that everything will be ok. I was so thankful and encouraged. The rest of my run felt great, and my heart felt a sense of relief. I felt as though that couple were in tune to God. I felt that He sent them along the particular path I was running at that particular time just for me! God knows our deepest needs and how to encourage us in times of doubt!

Luk 6:23 "Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.

I do not know about you, but rewards are great! After a long training run, I enjoy taking a hot bubble bath and just soaking. Sometimes, I come right home, make a smoothie and get the bath started. Other times, some friends and I go for a “Starbucks” run. We leave from Starbucks, and when we get back we spoil ourselves with a delicious coffee or tea. After running a race, it’s nice to get an award. I have some friends who are quite fast and receive many awards after their races.

God is so good to us. He gives us blessings everyday, and we do not have to do anything to achieve the blessings, but to receive Jesus into our lives as our personal Lord and Savior. Then, we want to serve Him and others. The greatest reward is that we get to spend eternity with Him forever one day. Heaven is far better than any of us can imagine. There will be no wants or desires, we will be fully satisfied without any worldly matters getting in our way. Christian, remember your eternal reward, and let this boost you in your daily circumstances. Seekers, look to Him. Ask Him for the eternal reward. I promise, it will be far better than any man made reward!

Blessings to you all!

Isa 26:4 Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal.

When we run, we are always moving, whether we are sprinting or doing a slow jog. The movement allows us go from one point to the next, increase our fitness levels, and work different muscles. However, we cannot move forever. We usually slow down and walk to recover and eventually we stop the movement to rest. Our bodies can go far, probably further than we think, but, they cannot go on forever.

God is quite different, He never ceases. He is always on the move. His work in the hearts of people continue. He does not need to recover, like we do. God will listen to you anytime of the day. He is the eternal Rock.

Psa 86:10 For you are great and do wondrous things; you alone are God.

Sometimes everything in our lives can seem overwhelming and intense. These times are tough. During these times, running may seem either like a stress relief or another task tagged onto everything else, but we know we have to run in order to be physically and mentally healthy! When it seems like there is not enough room for another added something in our life, let’s remember that Jesus is our true source of stress relief and not just another added responsibility. He has taken us as His responsibility. Let’s freely give our circumstances and issues over to Him. He will relieve our stress.

2Cr 3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

As a runner training, one can find himself/herself bogged down with a rigorous schedule. He/she fears missing a training run or ride. Anxiety binds us to our routines sometimes. However, we cannot always make the run that we intended to run in our schedule. Sometimes, we let this one change of plan ruin our whole week. We look to find some extra training time somewhere in the week to make up for the missed appointment with the road. When we become so fixed on our schedule that we cannot enjoy the other aspects of our lives, we are not living in the freedom that God has called us to live. He does not want us bound up in rules that we cannot freely live. Christian, are you living in freedom? Searching one, do you understand the freedom that comes with a relationship with Jesus? I ask all of us to pray about the freedom of Christ in our lives. Ask Him to reveal this pleasure to you.

2Cr 1:20 For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.

Often, as runners, we find ourselves making promises to ourselves. We promise that we will try a little harder next time, run a little faster, give ourselves a break, eat healthier, get up earlier... You get the point. However, we are not always able to keep these promises. In fact there are many life situations where perhaps we have broken a serious promise. Maybe the promise broken was in a job situation, a marriage, a promise to our friends, etc.

As humans, we find it hard to keep every promise, even though our intentions are to keep the promises.

The good news remains that God never breaks a promise. His promises have always come to pass historically, and they continue to hold true. Have you trusted God? Do you believe in His promises. He will not fail us. With uncertain times, let’s receive the promises that He has given us and cling on to them.

Psa 119:32 I will run in the way of your commandments when you enlarge my heart!

I am on vacation, so this is not too much of a blog. I will just say, may we run the way that God wants us to the way that we run for a PR.

Psa 147:1 Praise the Lord ! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting.

As we run, may our hearts be thankful for the health He has given us. May we rejoice at His constant provision in our lives day after day. May we not lose sight of the Lord our God. Praise Him!

Gal 6:10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

On a beautiful morning run on Fernandina Beach of Amelia Island, I found a sand dollar. I was so thrilled, as I find shells and sea life so fascinating. I had my water bottle in one hand, and my ipod in the other. My shorts did not have any pockets. I had to take this sand dollar back to the house to show my parents. I held it gently in my left hand. However, by the time that I got back to the road, the ipod was irritating my hip. I decided to throw my water away so that I could hold the sand dollar in one had and the ipod in the other. Off I went down the. I was almost home when the sand dollar slipped out of my hand and fell onto the road and broke into many many pieces. I was so disappointed. What came to my mind was delicacy of life. Our lives are so delicate. At any given moment, our lives can be changed, hurt, lost, or broken. God graciously gives us each day. Let’s make the most of every opportunity that He grants us.

Phl 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things.

Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in [fn] Christ Jesus our Lord.

Do you ever eat something before you go for a run that you just know that you should not have eaten? I have done this, and then regretted it because I get heart burn, and the rest of my run is uncomfortable.

In life, sometimes we put things into our minds and hearts that should not be there. Sin grieves the Spirit. We are all sinners, but by God’s grace we are free from living in guilt when we accept Jesus into our lives. As Christians, let’s think on His Word an the truth so that our hearts will stay focused on the pure things. If you do not know Him, know that your heart can live in freedom from sin too.

Psalm 27:14 "Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD."

As runners, sometimes we become injured. We may have a pulled muscle or some other sort of injury. Our anxieties often lead us to the running trail before our injury has had time to heal. Many times, all we need is a few days of nursing our wound and getting some rest. Then we are able to get back out on the road. We are often stronger if we wait on the healing rather than going back to soon and re-injuring ourselves.

In our daily lives, we become over anxious with circumstances. We desire a quick fix. We want things done in our timing. God has His own timing for us, and it’s the best timing. Most often, I find that life’s circumstances work out better if I wait on God’s direction and wisdom without rushing to try and fix things myself. What are you trying to fix that does not need to be fixed today? Are you trying to fix someone, your job, your finances, your children? Let’s seek God and wait for Him. We will be stronger by His grace.

Rom 8:28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, [fn] for those who are called according to his purpose.

Do you ever find that sometimes certain aspects of your running or exercise routine don’t work out right. Perhaps you miss a day’s training. Maybe you do not get to go as long or fast as you want to go. The case may be that you can’t run on the road because of your work schedule so you have to go to the gym and run on the treadmill. You may be injured, and therefore, you have to rest for a period of time before running again. Sometimes, those little details can get aggravating. If we lived in the perfect world, we would have a running schedule that would never get jolted by the inconvenience of life’s obstacles.

In our walk with God, sometimes days just do not go as we would like them to go. Maybe we do not get everything done that we had intended. Another issue could be that a relationship is not going as we would like it to go. Perhaps a job loss has occurred. One wonderful part of being in God’s family is that whatever happens to us, He will use it for the good. We do not have to despair when obstacles come our way. The only stipulation is that we are seeking Him and His will. He will bring all things to pass just as He intends. Christian, try not to get frustrated with the day’s obstacles. Rather look for Him in all of the moments whether they are positive ones or negative ones. If you are not in a relationship with God, give in to Him. He will change you, and your mindset on the trials and obstacles.

1Cr 10:12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!

Running in the dark and falling is not an enjoyable experience. Today, I was taking my usual morning dark run with my friend and our headlamps. My head lamp was dim, and the morning seemed particularly dark. We were chatting away about our life issues and enjoying one another’s camaraderie when I took the crash. I was not watching my step, perhaps I had become too confident in my familiarity with the trail. Over a bump and root in the path I went stumbling. I crashed to the ground and felt light headed. My thoughts went to the negative that maybe I had broken a bone. Had others been around, maybe my pride would have been hurt. Praise the Lord, no broken bones or sore joints to report. I escaped with a few bruises and a pavement burned hand.

God so often protects us from the near disasters of the world. We often hurt ourselves a little and He brings us back to the realization of His power and path. Sometimes, we must fall from our pride to be humbled. Let’s keep looking to Him and not get distracted by letting the dark creep into our lives.

Isa 40:31 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Running can make us tired and weary. Sometimes, we feel that we cannot move another inch. I know during a marathon, I wonder how I will make those last six miles. I find myself praying quite often. Maybe you are not feeling well or you are tired, and your legs feel so heavy that they will hardly move. We all experience these kinds of running days. We desire to be without weariness, but our bodies feel exhausted.

We experience these same feelings in other realms of our lives. Our work, our schooling, our relationships, and other obligations can feel overwhelming. We feel that we cannot keep the pace of life that we are going. We sometimes want to just give up and not try anymore. God has greater plans for us when we trust in Him. He will help us in our time of need. One day, we will even be with Him without any extra load. However, now, let’s enjoy the life that He has given us and allow Him to have control so that life will not feel so heavy.

Psa 33:11 The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations.

Have you ever been on a run and had stomach issues? I have been running long enough, as well as some of my friends, where at some point in time, this issue is inevitable. When this happens, you have to stop here and there, and hopefully, there is a bathroom along your route or some woods. Your run does not go as planned, and you usually do not feel too well. Maybe the issue is from what you ate the night before or did not eat, or perhaps you took too many gels along the way. By all means, you did not intend to get sick during your run.

This similar occurrence happens along our paths of life. We sometimes get sick, or a circumstance hinders our plans. We take longer to accomplish what needs to be accomplished, and sometimes what we set out to do does not get done. Part of life is the obstacles that we must face. God is with us all of the way. We must continue to seek HIm even in the roughest times when it feels as though He is not there. Though our plans do not go as we thought they should go, God often has a different plan in mind. All along the way, we must continue to walk with Him. He knows what we are going through.

Isa 55:2 Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.

I do not know what you think, but running can be an addiction. We sometimes feel that if we do not get our routine runs in for the week that something is missing. We have all heard that when we run, we release certain endorphins that make us feel good..the so called “runners high”. I think at some point, I researched this, and it is true. Running is a good therapy for people who have anxiety and depression. However, we need to be comfortable with missing a run. Some of us allow missing a run to ruin our entire day and rule our mood.

Not only can running be an addiction, but there are many other addictions. These addictions could be relationships, drugs/alcohol, food, internet, television, spending money, etc. You get the point. We can consume our lives with these habits until they become addictive. Addictions can become controlling over our emotions. Some of the above listed things are not bad, in fact they can be good. I will be the first to say that I would run every day if I could. The question is..when does it interfere with other functions of life? We should seek to find our fulfillment in God. We are all at different places in our lives. Ask God to show you where He is not first and where other things are taking control over you.

Psa 111:7 The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy;

As runners, we know that our running friends are for the most part reliable. They will meet you at 5:00 am to get in the day’s run, they will run with you in the rain, they will run with you when you are having a hard running day, they will stop if you need to stop, and they will call you if their plans don’t work out to run. I am thankful for all of the friends that God has placed along my running paths. I have had different phases of life, when I was a lone runner (of course God was with me), but I enjoy when God blesses me with running friends.

God is also reliable. He will never fail us. He always shows up to meet us, but we do not always show up to meet with Him. He is ready to listen to our prayers and help us through each day. He does not even get sick or oversleep. We can depend on Him in storms and times of peace. If you are in need of some help, an encourager, a reliable and unchanging friend, ask God to be that for you. He is waiting.

Gal 1:10 For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

As a runner, we receive much applause, but we also receive some criticism. The criticism usually comes from those who have never been runners. Sometimes, a non runner will

suggest that we runners will have bad knees one day or that we will damage our hips. They tell us that we are ruining our feet. These are just a few of the examples, that I have personally heard. However, I try not to dwell on these things. A recent article in a health magazine stated that research suggests that the benefits of running far outweigh the negatives, that most knee and hip injuries do not come from running, and that non runners have more ill health issues than runners. The research comes from two scholarly journals (Southern Medical Journal and Journal of Anatomy).

As Christians, many of us face this kind of criticism at our jobs, our schools, from our friends, and our family. People may ask us, “how can you live for someone who we cannot see or how do we know that we are “right” about Jesus”. This is where I feel that we are not wasting our time in our relationships with Jesus. If we are wrong, oh well, at least we lived our lives with purpose. Let’s not give up doing what we are doing because we receive negativity from others. Pray for all people and seek to share His love with them. Our reward is not on earth. Keep running this marathon of life with passion.

Not much to say today...I’m tired but feel that I must at least share a verse.

Blessings!

Hbr 12:3 Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.

Psa 16:11

You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Running can be boring. Most people who do not run often ask runners, “don’t you get bored?” I personally find running to become boring when I must run the same route receptively for numerous days. I have been in certain circumstances when I have had to take the same route. Yes, ipods can make a run a little more entertaining, but one cannot always take an ipod. I also do not like running loops more than once, out and backs, or the same marathon twice. I guess, maybe, I am a high maintenance runner when it comes to courses. The treadmill can also become quite boring, especially if, you have to run on the treadmill for an hour or more or if you have to run on it for more than one day.

We can also find ourselves bored with our lives. We can easily get into the same monotonous daily routines day in and day out. I find it that sometimes, I am so busy with my regular work schedule that I get bored doing the same work over and over. God is not boring. He is full of adventure. If you are bored, ask God to open your eyes to the opportunities that He gives daily. He wants us to be aware of what He is doing in us and amongst us. On your next run, ask God to show you something about Himself. If you feel that your life has no adventure, look to God. Christian, if you feel bored with your life, ask God to restore the sense of adventure that He has intended for you. Ask Him to show you daily the journey that He wants you to take for the day. Maybe you will become more aware of Him at work, at school, at home, or wherever He has you for the day.

Hbr 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Jam 1:6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.

As runners, we train for events or for our own personal goals. We know that when we have trained, we believe that we can physically accomplish a task. Before we begin training, we believe that we can do what we set out to accomplish, especially if we look back at previous goals that we have accomplished. Perhaps some of you, me included, remember our past events and what our bodies are capable of accomplishing. We also read about feats and victories that other runners have achieved. With all of this in mind, we believe in our potential and our bodies to be able to achieve certain tasks.

In our relationship with Jesus, we have faith. We cannot visibly see Him, but we can look back on those who have had faith,and we can look back on our own lives and see where God has been faithful. We have no reason to doubt in what Jesus can accomplish, but sometimes we do because we are mere humans, and our finite minds cannot comprehend our finite God. To tell someone to have faith does not always help him/her to receive the faith that God desires to give. Faith is wonderful when we take a step and believe in Jesus and what He has to offer us. Christian, are you living a life of faith? To you who are contemplating faith, have you asked for God’s help to give you faith?

Gal 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

One wonderful aspect of running is the various types of people that you come across. You see young, old, short, tall, skinny, stocky, not so skinny, fast runners, slow runners, runners with only one leg or one arm, and various cultures of runners. Many people stereo type how a runner should look. We often do this in life. We feel that people should look and act in certain ways. God created all people. He shows no favoritism in our appearance. He is the Creator. He shows no racism or bias. He loves all people. Let’s seek to see all people through the lens of God, and not our imperfect view.

1Pe 3:11 "let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it.

Running away fast can sometimes be our intuition. Several times, I have been running alone and felt that I needed to escape the area where I was running. I especially felt that way in South Africa. I lived in an area that had one of the highest crime rates in the world. Though, most of the time running in the city, I felt safe. People were always busy about the streets walking to work or catching taxis. The times when I felt frightened, I was alone on weekend mornings. I was never followed by anyone that I know of, but I felt that I needed to get quickly back home or that I needed to get out of the area as fast as possible. I was running from what felt like evil. Maybe you have had to run away from an unsafe place or even an animal. More than a few times, I have had to run fast to get away from dogs. One time, I even got bit. I could not move fast enough. When we feel threatened and we finally make it to a safe place, we feel relieved.

The way that we run physically from danger, we should run spiritually and perhaps physically from sin. We are tempted many times in many different ways throughout our lives. When we recognize sin and feel tempted to partake in the sin, we must run away as fast as we can in the other direction. This may mean abstaining from what looks like pleasure. The gratification of sin is short lived, while the gratification of living in the light is forever. We must always be aware of temptation. Sin is anything that is not in obedience with God. Let’s flee all evil, just as we would flee any other kind of danger.

Dear Blog friends,

My internet was down last night. This post is for September 30, 2009.

Psa 119:76 O may Your lovingkindness comfort me, According to Your word to Your servant.

Ahhh..There is nothing like a new pair of running shoes. Having two pair of shoes to alternate between is ideal. However, now with the economy being in the shape that it’s in, one cannot always have two pair of running shoes to alternate between. I know for myself, I have been putting too many miles on a pair of shoes before buying some new ones. When I buy the perfect pair of new running shoes, I feel as though my speed and endurance increase. I usually let my shoes wear down so much that I begin getting blisters and sore feet before purchasing a new pair. When I stick my feet into the new pair, I feel like I am putting my feet into a cotton patch. My feet feel immediate relief and I wonder why I waited so long for the comfort that the new shoes give me.

We often do not take the comfort that God offers in life. We keep looking to old places of comfort that lead to disappointment. These empty sources of comfort may be in the form of wealth, bad relationships, work, food, alcohol, approval of others, etc. Evaluate your heart to seek out where you receive your sources of comfort. Jesus offers the perfect comfort. Ask Him to help you find the relief that your soul needs.

Pro 13:4 The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.

As runners, we all have different routines that we go through. Unless, it’s the weekend or an off day, or a day when my schedule gets tossed around, I get up in the early morning to run. I usually get up, drink some carrot juice with barley green, fix myself a cup of coffee with stevia and cremora, put on my running clothes, grab my Bible, sit down on the sofa with my mug and Bible, pray and read, and enjoy the waking moments with God. Then I eat a tablespoon of chia seed. Not to long after that, I put on my running shoes, lace them up, get my car keys, water bottle, head lamp, and pepper spray. I then get in my car and scurry to meet my friends at our normal meeting spots. In the car on the way to our meeting spot, I watch closely for deer along the way as to not to hit them. I also know that a police man is waiting on a particular corner every morning, so of course I try not to speed. The point is, I and many of you are creatures of habit and discipline. Runners are generally disciplined people.

In our personal walks with God, we must also be disciplined. Just as we make sure to get in that daily run and follow our normal routines, we must make sure to spend some time with God. If we quit running a few days, it is hard to get started back. The same thing goes for spending some time with God. If we take time off from Him, it’s easy to go through our days and skip that personal time that is so good for our souls. God is gracious, and He does not want us to feel guilty for missing a quiet time with Him. He is full of love and grace. He is waiting with open arms for us to talk to Him and seek Him out through His word. I promise, if you take time for Him, you will want to spend more time with Him; your time will not be wasted. If you are a person who spends time with Him daily, I urge you to continue in this discipline. If you are someone who has never really thought about spending some time with Him, try it by reading some of the Bible, I suggest the book of John to get you started, and just talking to Him. Let’s all take the discipline of following Jesus and run with it!

Psa 139:1

O LORD, You have searched me and known {me.}

Psa 139:2

You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar.

As runners, often we can feel misunderstood. Our desire to run is a mystery to some. Others say that they could never do it because they do not have time. Now we know that they do have time because if we can wake up at 4:00-5:00 am to get in our run, they can too. Some say that we are crazy for getting up early to run, or taking our lunch hour to run, or running in the late evening hours. Family and friends can even try and give you a guilt trip for running. However, your running friends understand you. They understand your mindset. Don’t get me wrong, running should not consume us to the point of forgetting our other priorities. All in all, there is nothing wrong with you taking a daily run.

God understands us all completely. We all have issues in our lives where we feel misunderstood or alone, even when we are surrounded by people. We feel as though no one quite understands our intentions, our emotions, our desires, our dreams, our feelings, our way of doing things, our mindset, or our ideas. However, there is One who understands us better than we understand ourselves. That One is Jesus, God , the Holy Spirit. If you have these feelings of being misunderstood, know that He understands you. If you do not know Him intimately, ask for that intimacy with Him and give Him your feelings of being misunderstood.

Psa 46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!"

Running has a way of quieting the soul, a release of all of the world’s noise. I have always enjoyed the aspect of quieting myself while I run. When I do this, I have rhythm and I do not worry about the time, the pace, or the distance. Instead, all of those details just happen. However, this is not always the case for me. Some days, I am so focused on the time,the pace, or my form. This all becomes a hindrance, and I lose that harmony that I can have with the run. Yes, all of those details are important, but when we lose our sense of “being still” in our run, we lose the reason why many of us began running.

We do this many days with God. We are so concerned with trying to “figure out” how we can adjust this or fix that. We consume our minds with the “what ifs”. As humans, we find it hard to be still and trust in God’s work. First, before we can be still and know that He is God, we must surrender ourselves over to Him. We must ask HIm to help us to be still and listen, because in our chaotic world, being still and listening can be difficult. Try it. Be still before the Lord and know that He is God.

1Pe 5:6

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,

1Pe 5:7

casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

Sometimes running in Georgia weather can be tough. The humidity can feel like it swallows you up. The air feels so think that you feel as though you may not get enough air to breathe next breath. The pressure in the air makes the run feel so intense. Your lungs seem to almost suffocate. The humidity tests your endurance, your lung capacity, your drive to keep running. Then you go out on another morning and the humidity has ceased. You feel that you can run forever and the air feels abundant and your lungs feel open and free.

In our daily lives, we sometimes feel that we cannot breath because of the various anxieties, circumstances, and tasks in our lives. We allow the anxieties of the mundane to take over us, and we forget that we have air. In fact I can recall sometimes just saying.. “ I feel like I can’t breath”. This is a terrible feeling, because life is not meant to crush us. We have Jesus to give our anxieties too. He cares for us, and wants us to find our peace in Him. He wants to help us to get through our days without feeling breathless. Christian, remember He cares and wants your anxieties to be given to Him. Pondering runner, He desires to take your anxieties. Ask for His help so that you may breathe again.

Psa 150:6 Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.

As runners, we have the privilege of enjoying God’s creation. As a runner, in the area in which I live, I enjoy seeing different wildlife. Many days, I have seen deer run out in front of me or on the the other side of the road or path. I have seen a few wild turkey, a heron, various types of ducks and geese. I have spotted beavers and otters in a lake. I have sighted armadillos, opossums, and foxes. To my dislike, I have seen slithering snakes. While running in South Africa, I had monkeys swinging back and forth above me in the trees. I have not run with lions though, and I do not think that I would want to have that experience. Many of you have perhaps seen bears. Of course, we have all seen domestic animals along the way.

I am amazed at all of the wild life and how each one has his own niche. The animals always spark my curiosity. I like to think about how they each know how to survive and inhabit their homes.

Sometimes, when one doubts God’s existence and creation. I think that just by watching animals live and exist, one can begin to ponder and believe in God’s creation. Each creature praises the Lord by it’s vary existence. We can be in awe of God’s creation and how He creates everything so perfectly to bring Him glory!

Gen 2:2 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done.

Isa 32:18 My people will abide in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.

As runners, many of us run all but one day a week. Our bodies are so in tuned to daily

running that if we skip a day, even on our rest day, we may not feel up to par. Another time that we tend to take a break and ease up on milage is before a big race. We want our bodies to be at their best for a race or a long run. When we give our bodies a rest, many times we feel refueled and ready for the race or the new week of running.

In our daily lives, we also need to take breaks. We rush around all week. We are busy at work, overtime, church, taking the kids to their sports practices, studying, meeting with family and friends, paying bills, going on errands, and the list goes on without end. Sometimes, we even feel guilty to take a break and rest our minds and bodies. I feel guilty because I know that there is so much that I still must get done. However, if we give ourselves a Sabbath rest, as God desires for us, we will be refueled and ready for another week of business. Whenever, I give myself a break, I never regret it, so why should I skip out on this priority? Let’s seek God when it comes to rest. He wants us to feel our best as we serve Him. Without rest, we cannot function at our best. I challenge us all to take a weekly rest. Even God rested!

Eph 4:16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

Isn’t it strange, how when you are running, your whole body can feel great, but you may have one little ache in your toe or a sudden pain in your knee, and this slows your whole body down. Your body needs all of the parts to work properly to help you run. You can run with small injuries, but when one part of the body is not in tune, it seems to affect your whole body. Other parts begin to overcompensate and then you grow tired and weary because you need every part to run efficiently. In order for our bodies to function properly as a whole, each part must be in fine tune. Each body part plays an important role in our running and all daily activities.

This is the same for the body of Christ (His children). He has given each person a gift to add to the church as a whole, the church being the family of God. When one person is not able to contribute his/her talents and gifts the way God intended, the whole body is suffering. When we all use the gifts and talents that God gives us to contribute to the whole, the church functions with more harmony. Christian, are you contributing yourself to the body to help it function properly, or are you making it work harder than it should? If you do not know how to help out in God’s family, ask God to show you. He desires for you to use the gifts and talents that He has entrusted you with. There will be greater joy and satisfaction when you are part of the functioning body.

Gal 5:1 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

For about a week, the rain poured down. In fact, I have never experienced so much rain until that particular week. My friends and I had been trying to get out early in the mornings to get a run in and beat the day’s storms. We made it all but a couple of mornings. One day during the week, we were running in the afternoon after work. We began our run in a drizzle, but then a down pour began. Now, these downpours were frequent occurrences on this particular day, but we had decided to run anyway. We kept contemplating if we should turn around or not. Nonetheless, we ran about three miles in the downpour. I felt like a child again. We laughed and laughed at ourselves running in the rain. I felt so free like nothing could stop us and nothing was keeping us from this fun. We only went three because my friend’s baby was with us and a little thunder began to roll.

On my way home from that run, I stopped at our local park and got in another half of a mile in the rain. I just felt so free that I wanted to run more. After a half of mile more my feet started to get sopping wet so I went home. I will never forget those moments running so free in the rain.

As children of God, we are not to be bound up but free. The Lord has given us Himself so that we can be free of the things and thoughts that bind our minds and keep us from living fully. God wants us to run freely without feeling the burdens that we allow to consume us. Have you given Him all of you: your emotions, your circumstances, and your thoughts so that you can have the freedom in HIm that He intends for you?

Trust in Jesus to give you the freedom that He came to give you.

Mat 18:4

"Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Mat 18:4 "Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Thinking back to my first marathon, I was naive just like a child. I trained by myself in Statesboro, GA (flat terrain), but the marathon was in Atlanta. I went by a plan that I got out of a running magazine. Needless to say, I had to do my hill work on the treadmill. I got to the race, not knowing what to expect. The marathon was on Thanksgiving Day ,so after the half finished, most of the spectators were gone. The day was an overcast with a few sprinkles and hight humidity. I wore all cotton clothes. At that point, I knew nothing about dri-fit, and I had my cumbersome walkman. There were no such things as ipods. The amazing part of the whole race, was that I finished that race with one of my best marathon times. I went into the race with faith like a child. As Christians, sometimes we forget what our faith was like when we first accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior. We forget the simple step of trusting in Him with our entire life. Children are quick to trust. Jesus wants us all to come to Him with faith like a child. As adults, we fear the unknown, we are quick to be critical and judgmental, and we do not trust God with many of our circumstances. I challenge us all, Christians and those who are contemplating in trusting Him, ask Him to help you to have faith like a child. Have no inhibitions, like when I ran my first marathon.

Jam 1:2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds

Running is fun, and with it, comes much reward. However, you know good and well if you are a veteran runner, that there is also pain. The pain is not always excruciating, yet, it is present. I realize after running for about 17 years now that I usually have an aching muscle, bone, tendon, or ligament at any given time on any given day. Part of running consistently and training to make yourself better is having pain. If we did not have pain, we would not become better runners, or we may not be working hard enough physically.. As for me, I always have some little ache somewhere. I know from older, more experienced runners that you are going to have to deal with the pains if you want to gain endurance, speed, or shape.

In life, the Bible tells us that we will face hardship. If we do not face trials, we must not be experiencing all that Jesus wants us to experience. He never promised us that life as a Christian would be easy. Part of knowing Jesus more is knowing some of the suffering that He went through while He lived on the earth. In order to know Him, we must experience some sort of pain. We may have emotional pain, financial pain, relational pain, persecution, or even physical pain. One day, we will have no more pain, but let’s endure it and take in the joy that comes with it! Christian, do not be surprised by the pain. If you are not a Christian, pain is much easier with Jesus in your life.

1Th 5:23 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Some days the rain pours too hard to run outside. Time to hit the gym on those days. In the event of the harsh weather, I will either run on the treadmill or go to spin class. I prefer the outdoors on foot or cycling. There is just something about the greenery and fresh air that makes the sport a little more enticing. However, the gym is fine, especially when others are present to keep you motivated. Have you ever been on the treadmill or spin bike and felt like you were going no where? You were right, because your bike and treadmill are stationary. Sometimes, I look down at the milage too much, and the time seems to creep by so slowly. The surprise is when you look down at the milage and calorie count after an hour has gone by, and you have actually clocked quite a distance. Your body feels great, and you have made it through another gym workout.

On our life journey, there are periods of time when we feel like we are at a plateau and we cannot get anywhere. We feel that we are static and unchanging. We wonder when things will get better or we will achieve a certain goal. Everything is in God’s timing. Day by day He is changing us if we surrender to Him. He is making us to be more like Him. One day or even today, you can look back on the past and see where God has taken you and how He has changed your life in wonderful ways. The journey may not always be easy, but you will find that the end of some long roads, you are at a better place.

Eph 6:17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

1Th 5:8 But since we are of {the} day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.

Many days, I have gone for a run and not had on the right running gear. One day, I went out for a long run with my friend, and I had on the wrong shorts. The weather was humid, and not long into the run, I was already dripping wet. I had also lost a few inches around my waist. My favorite shorts had suddenly become too big. The rest of the run, I had to constantly pull them up. This irritated me the rest of the run. Some people wear cotton instead of dri fit, and the cotton can become heavy on your run. Perhaps you have experienced chaffing because of the wrong clothes, or maybe you wore a sock with a hole and rubbed a blister. I have forgotten to put on sunscreen or a hat when the sun is at it’s hottest and later regretted the mistake. Many of us have forgotten water or gels. In the winter, I have forgotten gloves and had to wear some socks over my hands. I am certain, that as a runner, you have not been comfortably dressed on all of your runs. For some reason, when our clothes do not feel right, the run just is not as good as it could be for us.

In our Christian walk, we must be prepared everyday. The Lord gives us the tools necessary to have a day in which we can be ready for whatever comes our way. He does not want us to be surprised by the stuff that the world throws at us. We can leave our homes everyday with the assurance that God is with us, and He wants to help us with the different avenues of grace. He has given us His word, faith, love, hope, salvation, and His presence. Let’s remember to dress ourselves daily with all that we need to face the world.