26.2

26.2 miles. 26.2 miles to complete my final long run after hundreds of miles. 26.2 miles of perseverance that overcame doubt, fatigue, and apathy. 26.2 miles to check off the bucket list and prove that I can do more that I think I can. 26.2 miles overcoming cancer scares, bummed knees, and ear infections. 26.2 miles of running for a cause that I believe in. 26.2 miles of pink. 26.2 miles of meeting new friends and being inspired by their stories. 26.2 miles supported by family and friends. 26.2 miles of giving and receiving encouragement. 26.2 miles of God's perfect provision and protection. 26.2 miles to bring His glory. 

 

 

Light

As the days grow shorter, it feels like it takes longer and longer for the light of dawn to come. The other day, I was in denial of this fact as I kept reassuring myself that if I waited just a few more minutes, daylight would come. Morning eluded me, so eventually I decided to run in the dark. Except it didn't seem to stay dark long. Away from the bright lamps of my house, the dim beams of dawn appeared brighter. Basic optics, I guess, but it's message was stronger.

As I speak to several of my friends as to why they don't believe in God, many of them tell me they simply don't need Him; they're doing just fine without Him. Sure, life has it's hiccups and misfortunes, but overall they're doing just fine. Maybe. Or maybe their lives are like the light. In the dim dawn, one can see well enough, but once introduced to the brightness of true light, oh baby! The world suddenly becomes that which we could never see before.  And what once appeared as light is only darkness now.

Scars

The other night as my husband read from Acts, a line down his neck caught my eye. As I traced the scar that testified to the healed broken neck twenty some years ago, I silently thanked God for sparing his life. My eyes drifted to a scar of my own, one more recent that speaks of where a sample was taken of a suspicious lump that by the grace of God was healthy. And my mind wandered to the scars of  the pierced hands of my Savior, scars that prove death has been defeated. I praise God for scars, for they declare that what was intended for death and destruction, God overcame. My God is greater.  I praise Him!

The 10 Percent

My freshman year of college, I remember one of the leaders in student formation talking to me about the 10%. After being frustrated when a beloved student leader was asked to step down from a leadership role simply because she was too involved-because she was trying to balance too many leadership hats- I marched into Student Formation and asked for an explanation. That's when Chuck explained to me about the 10%.

He explained to me that often in Christian ministry, it's the 10% that does 99% of the work Christ followers are called to- engaging in leadership roles, serving behind the scenes or front stage, raising knowledge and awareness of justice issues, caring for the poor and vulnerable, teaching and disciplining, spreading the name of Christ. And while it seems like the 10% are to be held in high esteem, in reality, this is a dangerous pattern.  While the go-getters seem to be getting it all, they're often leading themselves straight into burnout, or failing at ministries that aren't gifted in, or becoming bitter at others who they judge aren't pulling their wait, or preventing more timid folk from stepping up and shinning in the gifts God's given them. Further, try as they might, their efforts fall short; the 10% are limited.

Yesterday, my church launched it's Compassion is initiative, committing to serve 5,000 hours in our community this year. Commitment cards are in, and we've already surpassed our goal of committed hours.  That's right, thanks to just over 10% of our congregation, we've had already 5,000 committed.

While this is wonderful, I wonder about the other 90%.  How can we engage them as well? How do we encourage them to utilize their talents and skills? How do we build on their strengths? How do we set up systems to include them? How do we mobilize the entire body of Christ? What would it look like if we had 90% rather than 10% actively engaged in our world? What mountains could we move? What injustices could we overtake? What eternal impact could we make?

Work misfits

I've been working in the communications department of my church for about a month now.  Part of my role there has been updating staff bios for our website.  As I sit with coworkers and hear their stories, I'm amazed by the theme that appears: for so many of them, this is not the path that they envisioned.  They pursued other educational focuses, or feel unqualified for the position they've been entrusted with, and yet here they are.  Here they stand, trusting God to be the strength in their weakness, to do what they can't.  Here they stand, obediently saying yes to God when it means saying no to their own plans.  Here we stand, united by Christ alone.  As one who also feels like a misfit trusting God's leading, it's nice to know I'm in good company.

For the Long Haul

It appears that my blog has become evidence of my training schedule, or at least how God likes to speak to me through one of my favorite ventures.  Regardless, here's my latest running lesson.

Recently, I had a bit of a health scare.  Awaiting my results and pondering different possibilities, I began to pray.  I prayed for peace and focus, for wisdom and hope.  And as I prayed, I was reminded of who my God is.

My God is the God who turns the impossible into the incredible.  He is my Healer and Sustainer.  As I listened, I was reminded that God isn't bound by our choices or science or the medical community; He can and does bring miraculous healing.  I could be sick at that very moment, yet my God is big enough to heal me.

And even if He did not.  Even if He did not, I would still trust Him.  He's already gotten me through so much in my young life; why would I doubt that He could get me through this too?  He's greater!  Still uncertain of what my test results would say, I found perfect rest in Him. Trudging through 16 miles, I was reminded of my God's faithfulness, both in my personal life and throughout history.  He will not fail. His plan is perfect.

PS I got my results back today.  Everything is healthy.  Praise God!

Seagulls

 When raking in the miles, one does strange things to keep entertained.  Personally, I try to take in my surrounds, noticing things that I've past a hundred times but never really seen.  Yesterday morning as I ran past a baseball field, I noticed that it was filled with seagulls.  Here's a glimpse of my inner dialogue:

"Whoa!  Look at all of those seagulls!  That's actually kind of cool looking.  Wait, aren't seagulls the rats of the bird world?  No no, that's pigeons!  But still, seagulls are pretty close.  Wait, should I talk about God's creation like that?  Seems kind of disrespectful.  I mean, they have to have some sort of good purpose, cause God made them.  But what about mosquitos?  Are they good for anything?  I wonder what God originally created them for.  Hmmm... Maybe it's not so much a diss on God's creation, but a proper grieving of the Fall.  Maybe honestly looking at the peskiness of some creatures allow us to truly express the brokenness that sin, mine included, brought into the world.  So maybe it's a healthy balance of both, of seeing God's beauty and also grieving what has been lost.  And more so, maybe it's hoping for what He's promised, waiting in jubilant anticipation for the renewed world where there will be not death, pain, or bug bites.  What a glorious hope!"

Sinking Sand

 A few weeks ago, we went camping with a group of friends.  Energized by the new surroundings, I decided to take a run down the beach.  My feet graced the packed sand as waves rushed over, stride after stride, until suddenly, slurp!  Out of the blue I was calf deep in sinking sand.

Sinking sand.  What a beautiful illustration of the dangers of putting our hope in worldly things.  What a glorious picture of pulling ourselves out of the muck onto the solid Rock.  What a perfect reminder that our hope is found in Christ alone, that the foundations of our lives must be Christ, and Christ alone.  Sinking sand.

Everyone then who hears these words of Mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.  And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.  And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.  Matthew 7:24-27

Nehemiah: Pray and act

I just finished reading through the book of Nehemiah.  What have I learned?  Pray and act.  This is the pattern of Nehemiah's leadership: first, he prays, asking for God's wisdom and leading.  Then, he acts.  He doesn't sit around waiting for God but steps forward in faith as God guides Him.  He doesn't pompously act on his own accord but each time asks for God to direct Him.  Pray and act.  Not one or the other, but both.  Pray and act.  Pray, surrendering your plans fully to God and asking for His direction and provision, then act on what He's given you.  Pray and act.

Encouragement from a Sinus Infection

For the past month, I've been struggling with a sinus infection. Stubborn as I am, I kept trying to ignore it, pushing it off as a cold that just kept holding on.  Becoming frustrated by not being able to breath out of my nose, I finally went in to see a doctor on Monday.

The appointment started out fairly ordinary: describing my symptoms, taking my blood pressure and weight, then waiting on the doctor.  After describing my ailments to her, God opened the door to a much deeper conversation.

What began with a simple question of her asking if I had to return to work after the appointment led to a conversation about Tucker and I's hopes to serve families and children in Africa long term, and her sharing about her family's own considerations about moving to Guatemala to share Christ's love and the skills He's equipped them with with those in need.  I left the office so encouraged, not only because I had a diagnosis and meds to quickly get me on the mend, but more so because of this connection with a perfect stranger through the bond we share in Christ.  What encouragement to know the brokenness of the world and also the hope the comes through Christ alone, and to hear of another passionate about sharing that hope with the world.

Encouragement, too, in Christ's faithfulness as He teaches me boldness.  Bold is not a word that I would use to describe myself.  Timid, shy, quiet, those words often feel like a better fit.  Yet Christ is teaching me to be bold, to be confident in who He has created me to be and to openly share that with those around me, to step out of my comfort zone and fear and step out in faith in where He's leading me, to say yes to Him the first time.  And in doing so, I get to see the blessing of surprising things, like encouragement through a sinus infection.  =)

F-words

Last week I had the privilege of catching up with a dear friend over a steaming cup of chai.  This friend is preparing to move permanently to Southeast Asia as a missionary, and as she prepares, she's been dealing with her own humanity, her fears and grieving and excitement and hope.  As she shared with me, I was so encouraged by her perspective on fear and faith.  She was really open with me as she spoke of her upcoming changes, of leaving family, friends, and a familiar culture.  Then something she said stood out to me:

"Sharon, when I start to become afraid, I know what my problem is: my problem is that I'm not trusting God but rather relying on myself, on my own strength and knowledge."

Wow!  So often when we as Christians are afraid, we get this backwards.  I don't know how many friends I've spoken  of who are contemplating a change in their lives but are afraid to step out in faith because they are fearful of the unknown.  We say we're afraid because God hasn't done xyz, or we're not sure that He will make this next step.  We blame God for a fear when, if we're honest, our own lack of faith is to blame.  We want to be in control; we want to know the what the next 10 years hold rather than trusting God to lead us in just the next step.  We let fear win over faith.

I'm so thankful for my friend's perspective, for giving me a clear view of the reality of fear and faith.  Faith: For all I trust Him.  We trust God because we know His character; we know His faithfulness, goodness, love, grace, justice, perfection, sovereignty, wisdom.  We know that we are His beloved children, and His plans for us are good.  We know He is greater than all of Creation, that none compare with Him.

Just like Peter, when we fear, it is not because our God has failed us or become too small; we fear because we take our eyes off of Him and focus on ourselves.  We fear when we fail to trust God and instead put our faith in ourselves.

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. Hebrews 11

26 Yeses

A week ago I turned 26, and in good introspective fashion, I took the opportunity to reflect on the fullness of the past year.  25 brought a year of internships, a new nephew, graduation, buying a house, celebrating our wedding and the wedding of several dear friends, honeymooning, getting our first pooch, new jobs, friends moving to follow their dreams, growing with new friends, deeper involvement in our church, and a whole slew of other daily adventures.  25 was a full year, and a year full of blessings, to say the least.  And as I begin 26, I’m blessed with a season of rest, blessed with time to take in all God has done in the past year, to read the books that I’ve checked out time and time again from the library but never actual get to, to pray intentionally, to run, to discover new passions, and to spend time with dear friends.

As I’ve met with several friends, I can’t help but chuckle at the themes that keep popping up: I sit with one friend celebrating the advance in his career (not job, but career!), another glowing as she expects her first child, another rejoicing at the opportunity to finally do what she loves (and get paid for it to boot!), another discouraged as she longs for a baby, another scurrying over last minute plans before heading overseas to do missions,  discussions of insurance and mortgages, of growing families and dreams.  I sit back and chuckle, asking “When did we all grow up?”.  No longer are our conversations of a far off future but of the here and now, and of the soon to come.  Somehow we’ve aged that our far off dreams have turned to planning and praying.  And once again I stand amazed by God’s perfect plan. 

I’m amazed as I see Him do the impossible day by day, amazed as I watch prayers get answered.  And I stand in full anticipation as to what God has planned for my life, for our lives.  My life has not at all turned out how I had planned, and I thank God for that.  I praise Him for saying no to my plans that He may give me something better.  And in this period of waiting, I fully anticipate Him to do great things.  This year, I’m daring not to dream big, but to faith big, daring to say yes to God the first time rather than relying on my own understanding of all of the little details.  This year I long to say yes, to dive fully into whatever God has for me, to trust Him with abandon.  I pray that He would continue to lead and guide us for His name sake, to show us how we can use what He’s given us to draw others closer to him, and to strip away anything that would distract us from Him.  I pray this is the year of 26 yeses, and then even more as God leads and directs.  This is the year I pray for discernment and courage to take the first step, walking in the light of God’s leading lamp.  And it’s the year that I invite you to do the same.