I’m finally getting myself back to a running schedule now that all the kiddos are in some sort of school (I think that alone qualifies as Doing the Hard Thing). I missed having regularity in it. I love how invigorating moving your body is…I always feel like I have more energy afterwards. I run outside (running on a treadmill makes me feel like I am dying a slow death) and I love how God just shows up and speaks to me during those times. In whispers of wind, rays of sunshine, and glistening tree leaves He woos me and reminds me of His presence. He shows off His bigness and reminds me of my smallness. Reminders I need daily.
I took a new route this week. Instead of going left, I went right. It was flat for the first mile, and then it started to go uphill into trees. The next mile and a half was almost all uphill, on a more narrow path, clouded with trees so thick not much sunshine could get through. Still getting back into the rhythm of things, this wasn’t feeling great. I wanted to stop and catch my breath, give me a pounding chest a break and rest the muscles that were making themselves known…but I pushed on.
Just as I was about to give up running for a walk break, the hill plateaued, the trees broke, and I came upon this view. (pardon the iPhone pic)
And I just laughed out loud.
God was showing off…reminding me of His presence and persistence, even in the lack of mine.
I’ve been climbing a metaphorical hill for a lot of months now. There are so many times I wanted to give up, and just stop and catch my breath, give my pounding heart a break, but God told us not to stop…to keep going.
And now I’m at the top of the hill, and I see why. There is this beautiful view that wouldn’t have been as sweet if we’d stopped or given up. We pushed through, and God has honored that.
As I was reading this morning, I came across this verse:
“If you turn at my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make my words known to you.” Proverbs 1:23 ESV
The Hebrew for that word reproof means correction, and rebuke.
I think that’s the key to making it up the hill. When God rebukes us, and corrects us in our actions, our behavior, our hearts, our words, etc. we have a choice. Will we hear, and repent, and change our ways, and keep pushing on? Or will we give up and walk away not wanting to make the hard changes or choices necessary and miss out on the reward?
When we listen to His rebuke, He pours out His Spirit on us, and reveals more of Himself to us. When we make the choice to keep going even when it’s hard, and He honors that.
Anyone who tries to tell you living out your faith is easy is not to be trusted. It’s Doing the Hard Thing and messy, and gets all up in your business in the most uncomfortable of ways. You have to face fears, hurts from the past, and deal with your junk if you’re going to live out faith well. More often than not it feels like too much to handle, which makes sense because WE aren’t supposed to be handling it on our own.
So those times when you are breathless, weary and dragging and He shows up, pours His spirit on you, and makes Himself known? Rejoice!
Just keep going, you’re almost to the top of the hill and the view is so much better there!
“Not that I have already obtained this or am already prefect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:12-14 ESV
This post is part of the #write31days challenge hosted by The Nester.
Click here to read all the posts in the 31 days of Doing the Hard Thing series.
Click here to see some of the other contributors in this challenge.
