I ran track in high school and college. I ran sprints, relay’s and hurdles. I always loved running, but once I graduated and moved into full time work, my running continued to take a backseat until it was a distant memory.
Many years ago, while talking to God about finding some type of exercise that I would enjoy and stick with, a memory of running came to mind. I could see myself at the starting blocks waiting for the signal. I loved the adrenaline of each race. Immediately following that awesome memory, was the recent memory of chasing after our escapee dog. Five houses down the street, I was out of breath, tired and frustrated for being so out of shape.
God put it on my heart to run that day and I could not get running out of my mind thereafter. But, where should I start? I found an amazing app – C25K which promised to get me from my couch to my very first 5K, which for me, seemed like long distance running.
When I read the info. about the app, it reminded me that just like a newcomer to running, we can get frustrated and defeated in our walk with God:
Many newcomers to running become discouraged by the difficulty associated with the activity because they start too fast and push too hard. Their bodies push back and they end up resenting running. The Couch to 5K app isn’t just intent on getting you to race day, it has been specifically designed to instill a love of running.
Patience is the key.
It can be tempting to run ahead of God, to push for instant results or to be hard on ourselves if we don’t understand everything immediately. It is not a sprint when we are walking with God, it is long-term commitment.
We can take comfort knowing God is patient, kind and above all loving. He longs to have a personal relationship with each of us. We can be more than conquerors in anything we do because Christ is for us – Hallelujah! (Rom 8:31)
The Word is a seed and our heart the ground. Once the Word is planted in our hearts, it will grow and bloom and provide revelation (Mark 4:14-15). Our hearts were created by God to bring forth fruit when His Word is planted in them. Just as a seed must remain in the ground over time to germinate, so the Word of God has to abide in us.
When we MOVE to leave the couch, Jesus is right there with us every step of the way. He gives us the tools we need to accomplish whatever it is He has called us into. We just need to Believe and Receive!
A few months back I watched a video of a plant growing in a time lapse presentation. It was amazing to view the root spring forth and begin to move down towards the water source, and then the blade move up towards the light. I went further and looked at the physical make up of the seed itself and noticed that there is a part of the seed called “embryo”…That is the alive part of the physical seed…..This has opened up a revelation of how God’s Word works in us too. Once the Word is conceived in our spirit, the root begins to look for a source of food…..Thank you Dawn & Mark