Runnin' uphill

As some of you are aware, I have been running again. I started this summer with James in the evenings, running in the field. Did you know that summers in Texas are HOT!!?? Anyway, since school started for the T girls, I found a trail, concrete, to run on that is peaceful and well traveled by other folks, so I don't have to worry about stalkers or mass murderers. (very much) I enjoy running it for the most part, as much as one can enjoy running. It's good for me and makes me feel good, when I'm done. Get to the point, Wendy. I know, I'm a little bit off target right now. I have been pondering my run this morning and wanted to share a little glimpse of what the Lord shared with me. Let me start by saying, I hate running hills. There. I. Said. It. I hate running hills. It is hard. It is daunting. It hurts. It makes my lungs hurt. It makes my chest heave. You get the picture. All my running career, as on and off as it has been, I have hated hills. Most of the time, I would just walk the hill. It wouldn't matter where I was on my clock. (run a minute, walk a minute etc...) I would walk the hill. On this past Saturday, I did the Harvest Run here in town. All the profits go to a local non profit that I love, so I try to do it every year. There is a HUGE hill on it. Surprise, I never run it. But, this year, I wanted to see if I could do it. Let me step back in time to last January. I trained for and ran a whole 5k without stopping. I wanted to see if I could do it. I was running with a group from Fort Worth Running Company, Moms on the Run. It was awesome. One of the ladies in the group ran slow like me. The difference was, when she got tired, she kept running, she just slowed way down, so she wouldn't stop. I started running next to her and I did it! I ran a whole 5k. I know that may not be a big deal for some, but it was for me. Fast forward again till now. I decided to use my trick and instead of walking this daunting hill, I would run, but just slow down. Guess what? Yep, you are right, I ran it. It felt awesome. That sense of accomplishment was so good! Now, today, I was tired. I guess all the consistent running this past couple of weeks caught up with me. The trail that I run is mostly uphill. Obviously, there are downhills too, but the uphills are crazy! Usually, I can make it up one or two of them on the way out, but the backside of the hills going back are brutal. This time while running today, I was chugging up a hill. I remember looking at the top and thinking, "Is it further today than it was Monday?" Then, the Lord spoke to me and said, "Look at the square at your feet and take one step at a time. Don't look to the top." So, who am I to argue with that. I looked down at the cement square bounding before me. "Huh, if I just look at it, the ground doesn't look like it's going up." My eyes moved, to the next one and the next one. Then I glanced up and I was only two squares away from the peak. Wow. What a feeling. The downhill behind it led me to my 1.5 mile turnaround marker. Now I had to run back up the hill. Ugh. One square at a time. Then I was there again. At the top. I did that the whole way back as I pondered how often it is that when the Lord sets a path before us and it looks all up hill, how daunting the task seems to be. How is it that we always stare at how far away the journey is and how hard it will be to get there? Instead, we should be looking at the next step because it's only a step away. Geesh, we can do that! It doesn't look so daunting if you just look at the step before you. BUT, one caveat, we must always keep the prize in mind. Look up occasionally at your hill to make sure you are still on target is important. You can't just run blindly and hope to stay in a straight line. Mythbusters proved you can't do it. I saw it. Paul says in Philippians 3:14 "I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." That is the ultimate journey. To press on toward wherever God is leading you. Good or bad, He's clearing the path. He never said it was going to be easy, He said He would be with you. If we keep our eyes on Jesus and our feet taking one step at a time, we can make it to the top of the hill. We can do it! I encourage you, don't give up. Take it one step at a time. Be blessed, Until we read again...