bear with me here. just trying to work this out.
i was thinking in the shower this morning (one of the only places that i can do that!), pondering why running and, specifically, this triathlon, was such a big deal to me. today i feel such a sense of accomplishment, and also a little "letdown" that it's over. like with any big event, i guess.
every morning, when i get home from a run and sit down with my Bible and notebook and pen to read and pray, one of my prayers is to thank God for the ability to run. it's still such a NEW thing to me - and still a blessing. something i never thought i would do. and i'm sorry if this all sounds cheesy, but i'm being sincere here. those days when i first started running and i couldn't make it a half of a mile, I would be praying the whole time, "Lord, just help me get to the next street sign." and He would.
anyways, this whole thing-running, races, swimming, triathlons - have been "new" things for me. challenges. risky. i could have failed (and i would have learned great things if i had). but i am stronger physically, emotionally, mentally and even spiritually from having pushed myself to do these things. i had never run before...i didn't start until i was in my late 20's and had 3 kids! if I can do that, anyone can. and i hadn't swam since 8th grade. and i rode a bike 3 times in the last 10 or so years.
it's not going to necesarily be running or triathlons for you. there are people in my life that are trying "new", "risky" things like deciding to stay home with their babies, deciding to be on a budget and use their money "wisely", deciding to adopt twin babies from Africa even though they already have 4 of their own children.
where i'm going with this is that we need to be careful not to get "in a rut" - God is constantly growing us, changing us, drawing us to Him and we will be blessed SO MUCH MORE if we allow Him to put us in those "new", "risky" situations. this week, for me, it was a triathlon. i can't wait to see what i get to do next! how about you??
2 comments:
What a great way to sort of sum it up. I have been feeling alot of the same feelings - but not really sure why. Feeling like it's just running or just losing 20 lbs - not a huge deal. But it has been a big deal. Part of it for me has also been that I have been more consistent in this area than ever before in my whole life - and it really has affected other areas of my life too!! Amazing how God uses things like that, isn't it? Really cool.
I think it is great that you took a risk and tried something new. I am always looking for new ways to improve myself or challenge myself. I think it is important to push yourself out of your comfort zone. In the end I think you end up learning things about yourself that you didn't know. Congrats!
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