and happy people don't just shoot their husbands! (Can anyone name this movie??)
I will be the first to admit that my life is TONS better when I am taking the time to run every day. With lives crazy seasons, sometimes I do a good job of making this a priority and other times I do not. You can actually tell this by looking at this blog- when I am running more frequently blogs updates come more frequently, when I'm not running there is a dry spell. It really is crazy how the two go hand in hand.
As I jumped on the treadmill today, and I began thinking/ praying/ talking to Jesus He reminded me of two conversations I had yesterday with two friends. Both these conversations were about running. The first started when someone asked me why I had started running, or how I began to feel so strongly about it. I rambled quite a bit to answer this question, but I think she got the jist because her response was, "Man, I wish my runs would feel like that." The second conversation was sparked when one of my friends had decided to go for a run last night. I asked him what had sparked the desire to go for a run his respons was as such, "Your blog. It made running sound like a great idea. It reminded me of how I used to love to run in Stillwater. How it made me release all my stress and relax. I figured if you do it and it makes you think as clearly as you do then... where's my shoes?" As I thought about these conversations (while running today) I thought about how I often tell about what I learn while I'm running but I've never really explained why running needs to be a constant thing in my life, and ironically enough- it really has NOTHING to do with running... (am I saying we aren't called to take care of the temple of the Lord -our bodies- no! I'm just not saying that's not the sole purpose for which I run).
Simply put, I run to spend time with Jesus. It's the place I can find a good chunk of time where I can lay EVERYTHING out at His feet, UNINTERRUPETED, just me and Him. This is what makes life better when I "run" consistently. So technically what I do on the treadmill, YOU, my friend can do anywhere- it just so happens that I have found when I place myself in a position of exhausting myself it's a must easier place for me to literally let go of everything, approaching Jesus with all I've got, humbly asking for His help and His guidance. Because you know, as well as I do- we can do this life alone. It's His grace, His mercy, and His strength that gets us up and keeps us going.
Running is the place where I find the balance of being a Mary and a Martha. We need to be both! We need to be active in being a part of what the Lord is doing, but we must realize to do that we must take time to "sit and be still" in front of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. It is His guiding hand, and His Word that directs our feet- without the time with Him how will we ever know what we need to be actively doing?
So I ask you, what does your time with Jesus look like daily? You might not be hopping on a treadmill like me, but do you have a place where you are still before the Lord? (Ps. 46:10). Maybe it's in your car on the way to work, or while sitting at your desk over lunch, or while you lay in bed at night. It could be anywhere! A place where you can COME TO HIM (Matthew 11:28), CAST YOUR CARES (1 Peter 5:7), CALL OUT TO HIM (2 Chronicles 7:16). This place will allow you to HEAR from Jesus (John15:26) and be TRANSFORMED (2 Corinthians 3:18).
I believe the Lord knew exactly what He was doing when He created mankind- A people in need of a Savior, a people who He knew would be living in a fallen world. He sent HIS Son, the ONLY PERFECT being on Earth to live & experience life on Earth before dying on a cross for you- He was and is the ULTIMATE SACRIFICE. He knew that in this world we'd experience trouble, (though He knew He'd overcome the world) so He provided His Word to help guide us, lead us, and direct us. A Word that is living and active, without flaw or imperfection, written by man, yet through the DIVINE presence of the Lord. Lastly, He knew that though we were growing in our relationship with Him, and learning His Word that sometimes we would still struggle in life, and therefore He created us with a longing for relationships- to do life together with people. People who would better help us understand who Jesus is and what He is doing when we get distracted and place our focus somewhere else. People who will remind us of what the Word says when we can't recall anything that would fit in our situations, and lastly (but not least) people who help us to live out the calling of Jesus so that we can LIVE in a way that impacts the KINGDOM for Christ. I LOVE how the Lord provides so many layers of defense for us in the midst of HIM calling US to be a part of what HE is doing on Earth.
Simply put. My time on the treadmill is great because it's where I get to meet Jesus, where I get to spend time with Him. Where He speaks to me, strengthens me, and prepares me for the day at hand. The treadmill is where I express my greatest thoughts, fears, and needs- the place where He reminds me of His Word and who He is in the midst of everything I've just expressed. Jesus is my Counselor.
Now, I will add. In addition to all that great stuff listed above- I think there has been some scientific evidence that exercising does boost your mood. That is why in Legally Blonde Elle said, "Excersice give you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people don't just shoot their husbands." Happiness though is built a lot on our circumstances which we don't always have that much control over. Spending time with Jesus though provides us a lasting JOY that transcends ANY circumstance- which is better than any amount of endorphins excercising might provide. Be blessed!
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
Seek Jesus, Join hands. Now let's get running!
So the other day I went to the gym to run. I was so stinking excited about getting to run (I was wearing my new shoes!) climbed on the treadmill and started running, my sister on one side, my mom on the other. As we started our run, another fella came in (a guy who I went to high school with & now he & his wife live in Chickasha where he is a youth pastor at a Church) and he began running' on the 4th treadmill. Often when I am running my mind drifts into another place, this time was no different. I began thinking about how the 4 of us love Jesus, I thought about how cool & how rare it was that we were all "in the same business." My mom teaches school/ coaches cheer, Kara (my sister) coaches cheer/ works at Kanakuk, I work in kids ministry/ coach cheer, and he works in youth ministry- though all may be different venues, the goal is still the same loving people to Jesus & helping them grow in that walk. I was stuck in that thought for a moment- we are all working for the Kingdom, so cool!
As I continued on my run, I began to notice something else about us all being on the treadmills. We weren't all running at the same pace. Not a big deal, right? Well on this particular day it wasn't a big deal to me- I was just excited to be running. However, on some days when running isn't super easy this would have been a major problem & maybe even a detriment to my run. I probably would have started focusing more on the fact that it seemed like the other 3 might have been running faster than me, or longer than me, so on so forth. I'm sure on those days I could come up with quite a few different things to whine about instead of actually just focusing in on the task at hand and running. My mind drifted again. Man, how often do we do that in our life- in our walk with the Lord?? Instead of focusing on the task at hand, what the Lord has called us to do we get caught up in not feeling equipped, not feeling worthy, thinking someone else has the better gifts. And what happens at the end of those seasons of life?? We get the hard lesson of realizing what we missed out of letting the Lord use us in because we were so focused on ourselves, or those around us to join in. The Word tells us we all have GIFTS (1 Corinthians 12:1-11), we are CALLED to live in PEACE & to do EVERYTHING for JESUS (Colossians 3:12-17), we are to PRESS ON (Philippians 3:12-14). However, how often in life as we are "running" do we look over and see someone else charging on ahead and all the sudden forget EVERYTHING we've read in the Word?? Then I had another visual....
See, when I'm running on the treadmill I'm usually watching tv. In Chickasha, they have a great channel that scrolls Bible verses all day long. I LOVE IT, and I LOVE getting to read this while I run. As I'm running on the treadmill, I can't "see" where I'm going, I'm focused on reading the scriptures (and secretly trying to guess where they are located before it tells me on the screen-ha!) Isn't that so how we should be in life too, so focused on Jesus, impacting His Kingdom, and submerged in His Word, that though that is all we see it simply guides EVERY step we take. (Proverbs 16:9). Because at the end of the day all that REALLY MATTERS is that you, me, my mom, sister, other fella, are making an impact for the Kingdom. Its not a race to see whom gets there first, or even who crosses the line last. We're told in 2 Peter 3:9 that the Lord wants ALL to come to repentance, and we know in Matthew 28:19 that once we know Jesus we are to make disciples. It’s not about who finishes first its simply who RAN, and who RAN well. SO PEOPLE WE JUST NEED TO SEEK JESUS & RUN! Not looking to the right or the left, only straight forward because we are ALL CALLED, were ALL GIFTED, and our STRENGTH comes from the Lord. The strength comes from those who are running alongside you, paving the way, sharing knowledge and wisdom along the way- HEROES OF THE FAITH (Hebrews 11)
I feel like this is sort of a mess of thoughts- but running on the treadmill that day it was the coolest visual of us all running towards Christ and what could be if we would simply focus on Jesus FIRST, and use those around us as support rather than LOOKING to those around us FIRST (which usually leads to comparing etc) and using Jesus as support. I pray that today you will run whole heartedly to the Lord, slowing down when He allows you the needed time to rest and rejuvenate, and charging on when He speeds up. Seek JESUS first, and join hands with those around you and TOGETHER let’s make a HUGE impact for His Kingdom… Be blessed!
As I continued on my run, I began to notice something else about us all being on the treadmills. We weren't all running at the same pace. Not a big deal, right? Well on this particular day it wasn't a big deal to me- I was just excited to be running. However, on some days when running isn't super easy this would have been a major problem & maybe even a detriment to my run. I probably would have started focusing more on the fact that it seemed like the other 3 might have been running faster than me, or longer than me, so on so forth. I'm sure on those days I could come up with quite a few different things to whine about instead of actually just focusing in on the task at hand and running. My mind drifted again. Man, how often do we do that in our life- in our walk with the Lord?? Instead of focusing on the task at hand, what the Lord has called us to do we get caught up in not feeling equipped, not feeling worthy, thinking someone else has the better gifts. And what happens at the end of those seasons of life?? We get the hard lesson of realizing what we missed out of letting the Lord use us in because we were so focused on ourselves, or those around us to join in. The Word tells us we all have GIFTS (1 Corinthians 12:1-11), we are CALLED to live in PEACE & to do EVERYTHING for JESUS (Colossians 3:12-17), we are to PRESS ON (Philippians 3:12-14). However, how often in life as we are "running" do we look over and see someone else charging on ahead and all the sudden forget EVERYTHING we've read in the Word?? Then I had another visual....
See, when I'm running on the treadmill I'm usually watching tv. In Chickasha, they have a great channel that scrolls Bible verses all day long. I LOVE IT, and I LOVE getting to read this while I run. As I'm running on the treadmill, I can't "see" where I'm going, I'm focused on reading the scriptures (and secretly trying to guess where they are located before it tells me on the screen-ha!) Isn't that so how we should be in life too, so focused on Jesus, impacting His Kingdom, and submerged in His Word, that though that is all we see it simply guides EVERY step we take. (Proverbs 16:9). Because at the end of the day all that REALLY MATTERS is that you, me, my mom, sister, other fella, are making an impact for the Kingdom. Its not a race to see whom gets there first, or even who crosses the line last. We're told in 2 Peter 3:9 that the Lord wants ALL to come to repentance, and we know in Matthew 28:19 that once we know Jesus we are to make disciples. It’s not about who finishes first its simply who RAN, and who RAN well. SO PEOPLE WE JUST NEED TO SEEK JESUS & RUN! Not looking to the right or the left, only straight forward because we are ALL CALLED, were ALL GIFTED, and our STRENGTH comes from the Lord. The strength comes from those who are running alongside you, paving the way, sharing knowledge and wisdom along the way- HEROES OF THE FAITH (Hebrews 11)
I feel like this is sort of a mess of thoughts- but running on the treadmill that day it was the coolest visual of us all running towards Christ and what could be if we would simply focus on Jesus FIRST, and use those around us as support rather than LOOKING to those around us FIRST (which usually leads to comparing etc) and using Jesus as support. I pray that today you will run whole heartedly to the Lord, slowing down when He allows you the needed time to rest and rejuvenate, and charging on when He speeds up. Seek JESUS first, and join hands with those around you and TOGETHER let’s make a HUGE impact for His Kingdom… Be blessed!
Friday, March 4, 2011
Contentment. Is the glass really 1/2 empty or 1/2 full??
Half empty or half full? Which side do you tend to lean to? There was a time I would have answered you half full yet probably lived a litte more along the lines of hoping the glass was half full- yet preparing myself for it to be half empty. See, I have had quite a few experiences in life that didn't pan out exactly like I expected them to. It's these experiences that have led me to question whether the glass is really half full, or how I should approach a situation- would a half full glass veiw change my outcome or do I need to approach not really expecting anything... more of a half empty glass view. So I began asking people what they thought. Most people gave me direct answers- then I asked one fella. I asked him what he thought, half empty or half full... I think I about fell off my bed when he replied with neither of the options I gave him he said, "the cup just is." What do you mean it just is?? I couldn't wrap my head around that thought... since then I've been dissecting what that really might look like to realize the cup just is.
I know that in life, our formed expectations are what cause our disappointments. When we go into a situation thinking that x, y, and z will happen and get there and a, b, and c actually happen- we get frustrated. In a friendship when we state one thing and a friend doesn't respond exactly like we'd had planned they would we get aggravated. Then we begin asking WHY?! As believers, we say, Lord, WHY!?? If you are anything like me you've probably taken it to step (at some point) thinking Lord, but I've been so good- I've been reading my Bible, I've brought people to Church, etc. Why couldn't you just let me win this or experience that. WHY, WHY, WHY??!
But then, I started thinking about the idea that the cup just is. If something just is, do you expect something from it or do you just let it be? And what does that truely look like. I know that in the Bible the Lord tells us He has given us EVERYTHING we need (2 Peter 1:2-9) for life and goodliness, He has come to give us LIFE (John 10:10), that those who hear His word do it will be BLESSED (James 1:22-25), that our cup OVERFLOWS (Ps. 23:5), and when we DELIGHT in Him, our hearts DESIRES will be met. Then why on Earth do we sometimes feel like He's still not giving us enough?
Seriously- how selfish are we? Nothing compares to what He gave while on the cross- there is nothing more anyone could give. He was and is the perfect sacrifice for YOU, for ME (2 Cor. 5:21). He is the BLESSING, every part of WHO He is and WHAT HE'S done for us. Here's the cool thing though...
Once we've realized WHAT He's done, we get to be part of WHAT HE IS TO DO. We are so incredibly blessed to get to be a part of HIStory- seeing changed lives, and when we see changed lives He propels us on to do MORE for Him. Sometimes we run into those situations (like I mentioned above) that don't work out quite the way I wanted them to. THANKgoodness for a Lord who loves me enough to continually teach me, and grow me- because hind sight shows I needed those experiences to know and understand Him more, for Him to fine tune who He wants me to be.
To end I should probably go back to the inital thought. "Is the glass really 1/2 empty or 1/2 full?" How about it just is. As we approach life I pray we understand that the Lord is not our genie in a bottle to grant us Earthly pleasures but that He wants to bless us with the opportunity to TAKE PART in what He is doing- changing lives for Him. Live life expecting the Lord to do big things, allowing you to experience things that propel you to further His KINGDOM. FIND the middle ground of contentment stretching both arms out to the sides palms up on one side expecting the Lord to do BIG things, and in the other hand holding EVERY thought, desire, passion you have for life. If you are really doing this you'll notice that leaves you directly in the middle, the place where contentment is found. I pray you walk in it today :) Be blessed!
I know that in life, our formed expectations are what cause our disappointments. When we go into a situation thinking that x, y, and z will happen and get there and a, b, and c actually happen- we get frustrated. In a friendship when we state one thing and a friend doesn't respond exactly like we'd had planned they would we get aggravated. Then we begin asking WHY?! As believers, we say, Lord, WHY!?? If you are anything like me you've probably taken it to step (at some point) thinking Lord, but I've been so good- I've been reading my Bible, I've brought people to Church, etc. Why couldn't you just let me win this or experience that. WHY, WHY, WHY??!
But then, I started thinking about the idea that the cup just is. If something just is, do you expect something from it or do you just let it be? And what does that truely look like. I know that in the Bible the Lord tells us He has given us EVERYTHING we need (2 Peter 1:2-9) for life and goodliness, He has come to give us LIFE (John 10:10), that those who hear His word do it will be BLESSED (James 1:22-25), that our cup OVERFLOWS (Ps. 23:5), and when we DELIGHT in Him, our hearts DESIRES will be met. Then why on Earth do we sometimes feel like He's still not giving us enough?
Seriously- how selfish are we? Nothing compares to what He gave while on the cross- there is nothing more anyone could give. He was and is the perfect sacrifice for YOU, for ME (2 Cor. 5:21). He is the BLESSING, every part of WHO He is and WHAT HE'S done for us. Here's the cool thing though...
Once we've realized WHAT He's done, we get to be part of WHAT HE IS TO DO. We are so incredibly blessed to get to be a part of HIStory- seeing changed lives, and when we see changed lives He propels us on to do MORE for Him. Sometimes we run into those situations (like I mentioned above) that don't work out quite the way I wanted them to. THANKgoodness for a Lord who loves me enough to continually teach me, and grow me- because hind sight shows I needed those experiences to know and understand Him more, for Him to fine tune who He wants me to be.
To end I should probably go back to the inital thought. "Is the glass really 1/2 empty or 1/2 full?" How about it just is. As we approach life I pray we understand that the Lord is not our genie in a bottle to grant us Earthly pleasures but that He wants to bless us with the opportunity to TAKE PART in what He is doing- changing lives for Him. Live life expecting the Lord to do big things, allowing you to experience things that propel you to further His KINGDOM. FIND the middle ground of contentment stretching both arms out to the sides palms up on one side expecting the Lord to do BIG things, and in the other hand holding EVERY thought, desire, passion you have for life. If you are really doing this you'll notice that leaves you directly in the middle, the place where contentment is found. I pray you walk in it today :) Be blessed!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)