This song keeps playing in my head…
“I got pains, they’re multiplying.
And my legs have lost control.
But the power YOU’RE supplying,
It’s electrifying!”
Lately, I've been waking up with my arms and legs so sore
that I want to stay in bed. Then my new mantra, GAME ON, kicks in and force myself up. You see I've done something unexpected. I've signed up for a
5K and I’m in training. Unbelievable, I know! Never in my wildest dreams would
I have imagined that I would run anywhere, unless being chased by something scary.
Last year, I started exercising because I challenged my
family to a Thanksgiving walk up this HUGE hill. The challenge was made on
a lark but throughout the year I would send out “trash talk” emails telling
them they were going to eat my dust on the trail. But a funny thing happened,
the more I egged them on, the more inspired I became to conquer that hill. In
my mind, the hill seemed impossible for an out-of-shape girl like me. I almost
cancelled the whole thing because I was afraid to humiliate myself. But on that
day, when I stood at the top, I thought, “I can do more than I think I can.
I've been limiting myself by focusing on the hill and not the finish line.” God
wants me to focus on the finish line. He’ll take care of the hill.
So, why the 5K this year? Would you believe that I feel like
I need to do it? God’s Word promises that I’m going to face more hills. I saw
this great t-shirt that said, “It doesn't get easier, we get stronger.” That’s the truth. But in order to get stronger, we have to keep training, pushing the
boundaries of our faith, and building our spiritual muscles. God warns
Christians against becoming complacent, apathetic, and lukewarm. (Revelation 3:16) Here
is what God wants for us:
“The
people I love, I call to account—prod and correct and guide so that they’ll
live at their best. Up on your feet, then! About face! Run after God!
(Revelation 3:19)
So I know that without a new goal or challenge I will
get lazy. I will let complacency lure me back to the couch, with my
feet up, reading a new romance novel. And that lukewarm feeling can sneak up
easily, especially when we feel discouraged. On a particular bad day, when I
was standing at the bottom of the hill, unable to see beyond it, my fitness
instructor saw my discouragement and gave me a bracelet that read, “You
inspire me.” She told me to wear it every day to remind myself to never give
up.
As I reflected on those words, “You inspire me”, I realized that the bracelet was really a gift from The Lord to remind
me of my calling. Why does God want me to run this race and why does God want
you to run the race He has assigned you? Not for trophies or pats on the back,
but to inspire others to see beyond the hills in their own lives to the finish
line where Jesus awaits with open arms.
So I forced myself to register for a 5K, and I am encouraging
everyone to run with me:
A friend who has lost her spouse and needs to regain her
confidence.
A friend who feels depressed and needs a reason to get up in
the morning.
A friend who battles with weight and needs a challenge.
A marathon runner who will literally run circles around me
but is cheering me on.
My running partner who's the first to say, "It's time to run." If it weren't for her competitive spirit, I’d fake an injury every
time and never run.
And to anyone who needs to see that if an out-of-shape girl
like me can do it, so can they.
It's not easy. Some days are hard. Like today in my Zumba class I literally felt weighed down, unable to move. I doubted I could finish the class, but then the instructor played
this song, “Let’s go! Let’s go! Let’s go!” And I suddenly pictured Jesus in my
Zumba class, dancing with me, singing, “Yolanda, let’s go! Let’s go! Let’s go!”
You see, everything we do in this life for God we never do alone. He's always beside us saying, "Let's go!" You are never too old or out-of-shape for God. If you feel like you've
been sitting on the sidelines, watching others run God’s race, wishing you
could have the courage to join in, God is extending His hand to you, saying, “I love you. I’ll be by your side the whole way. Just put one foot in
front of the other and keep your eyes on the finish line - Heaven.”
So I’ll just keep singing my song…
“I better shape up, cause I need to run
And my heart is set on YOU.
I better shape up, if I’m gonna prove
That my faith is justified…”
Love,
Yolanda
“You are never too old to set another goal or dream a new dream.” CS Lewis
