My husband is a runner. He has run consistently for all our 34 years of marriage. His first 10k was when we first started dating. He continued with 10ks, half-marathons, whole marathons, then went on to do many 50ks. He doesn't get to run daily because of work but he tries to run at least 2-3 times a week. Therefore, many would call him a weekend warrior, however, even on weekends, he only does Saturdays. But even though he doesn't get the training time that many serious runners do, he is consistent and he does continue to do advertised runs with consistency. He has the ability to persevere over his discomfort because his desire to finish, competing only with himself, is foremost in his drive.
He is like that in his spiritual life also, although he does "train" daily, but his perseverance is amazing. His dependence on God and God's power in him has brought him to great heights of being patient and waiting on God's timing. God has also blessed him with a determined, patient and loving attitude toward my "glass half-empty" self. Which brings me to the reason of this post.
I always seem to react with "knee jerk" quickness and that has often led me to regret decisions I make. My husband may drag out a reaction and be oh so very slow to me, but at least he does think out his responses. As I prayed one day this week, I said, "God, I feel like I've fallen behind. Is that because I ran ahead of You?" As I prayed this, I thought and asked Him, "Will I ever learn to slow down?" How many times does scripture pound me with, "Be still and know that I am God." NASB says, "Cease striving and know..."
God has blessed me richly with a wonderful man to lead me. I am thankful!! I must learn to calculate with God's guidance my work and my running. I must not run ahead of God, lest I fall behind His perfect plan and path for my life. He has all the time in the world and holy patience with me but do I really want to continue learning the same lesson over and over? I must be about my Father's business and that won't happen unless I'm listening to His guidance for that work. Let us "run with perseverance the race marked out for us." Hebrews 12:1
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