Mornin' Run!

Yeah, I run.  But before I say anymore....you need to picture me on one of my runs....so let me paint one for you.  Running, I'm as graceful as a gazelle.  Long stride, great form.   My beautifully curled blond hair is pulled back into a neat pigtail and it bounces happily off the back of my 5'9" frame.  I don't sweat, I glow.....no need for makeup here....I glow! 

Ok.........scratch all that and picture the real me!  5'4", short and stubby dutch girl, gasping for breath, red as a beet....sweating profusely.  I don't know what my stride or form looks like....but I can guess....it's not very gazelle like.  More like galloping mama bear!  The blond part is right, though, minus the neat pigtail....more like tucked into a once white Nike hat.  Now that you have the real me pictured, you know I am not one of "those"runners.  My husband falls into that category.  You know, the crazies who run marathons and love it.  Who go out and do 11 miles and grin from ear to ear and can't wait to tackle it again. No, I do my 2 1/2 miles and that's marathon enough for me!

So, why do I run?  I don't know......its the challenge, I guess.  My route that I run has three different
stretches.  The "Flat and Boring: I'm Never Gonna Get There"  the "The Hill of Death" and the "Bridge of Beauty".  At the beginning of my run.....I know whats coming and I prepare.  So, for the "Flat and Boring" I'm armed with my M-p3 player full of inspirational running music my daughter loaded up for me...."Red", "Skillet".....you get the picture!  The "Bridge of Beauty" is in the middle of my run.  A beautiful bridge over a rushing creek, shaded by oak trees.  This is one of my reward spots.  I stop here for a breather on the way back from my halfway point, "The Hill of Death".  The "Hill" is just that and it kills me every time.  To get through this challenge, I push and remember...the way down is cake and the icing?  A cute little mini-horse, I named Merry is waiting for me!  Merry is really a boy but I can see him with little ribbons and bells braided into his mane!  Awwww, cute, huh?  After Merry, the run starts all over again...in reverse!

Coming back from "The Hill of Death" and blowing Merry a kiss, my run begins to remind me of something different.  My life mirrors my runs!  It's got all three elements.  The "Boring", the "Beauty" (rest spots), and the "Hill" (my challenges).   With my runs, I have the right shoes, comfy clothes and my Mp3 player.  With my spiritual walk I need the right gear......daily devotions, prayer and Sunday worship.  The boring?  We all got those times.  Those times where nothing happens, the routine, the everyday.  That's the toughest part of my run.  It's lonely.....it goes on and on and it feels as though I'm spinning my wheels and not getting anywhere.  Sometimes life can feel like that. We can be prepared for that stretch of our lives too.  Like my M-p3 player keeps me company, our Lord and Saviour wants to be part of our everyday.  Which lead to the "Hill"...the rough spots of our lives where most of us wait to call upon our Lord.  During the everyday....we feel we don't need Him....but that is so wrong!  We need Him in the everyday....building that relationship with Him so when the Hill hits, the climb won't kill us.  I found on my run that once I got up that hill.....I DID IT!  The excitement and the joy made the struggle so worth it!  The run down seemed so effortless and fun!  Isn't that how it is when we tackle our Hill?  Basking in the joy of a job well done with our Master carrying us downhill to rest at the "Bridge of Beauty", the spot of refection, remembrance and worship.

So, again, why do I run?  Maybe it's for the reminder of my need for my Saviour 24/7 ...in all three phases of my run; on the road .....and in my life.  Hebrews 12:1 and 2 reminds us ".....let us run with patience the race that is set before us.  Looking on to Jesus the author and finisher of our faith...."  Whether you run like a gazelle or a clumsy mama bear.....run your race!