Six o'clock came and went. I didn't hold my breath. Jesus tells us in the Bible that we will not know the day or the hour of His return. His words are good enough for me...
I did, however, in an 'exhausted, trying to catch my breath, feeling like I just couldn't make it one more step' kind of way during my run this afternoon wish for it (smile). In the end, I just prayed that Jesus would get me home. I needed water and a shady place to sit---fast. Perhaps I pushed myself too far for too long. As I always say, running is the perfect metaphor for life.
In this case, getting back into the swing of running is no different. My mind has been raring and ready to go. It has missed those natural endorphins. My body is not always so compliant, however. After taking eight or so months "off", it's a bit of a jolt--but like they say, it's kind of like riding a bike (but a bit harder on the joints)--your body doesn't forget, and it's catching on. Slowly...
I have missed running immensely and am finally beginning to feel like myself again. It is so much a part of my "me-ness" and I've been without it for so long. As a girlfriend of mine told me the week after I took up jogging and got the 'all clear' from the surgeon "you're just so much happier now". True.
Running makes me feel free, capable, connected, able to take on the world. If I can make it through the most torturous of weather conditions, hills, allergies, asthma, I can do anything. It's just me in competition with myself--and I am able to tackle all the stresses on my plate--one step at a time. It is such a spiritual exercise for me too. Being immersed in nature, the sun, sky, clouds, grass, flowers, trees, animals (and all other "natural" things :)) makes me feel closer to God. I pray while I run--long prayers--before I turn on the tunes. It's relatively the only truly quiet time I have to talk to Him. This experience can not be replaced on a treadmill, however, which is one of the many reasons why I am not a big fan of winter...
So while on my run, the DJ was constantly commenting on the supposed 'rapture' that was said to happen today. He just couldn't seem to get enough of the topic~so much so that I turned my Sansa back to my music recordings (although this seems to eat up batteries mercilessly). I thanked God for each wild flower and butterfly that passed--the blue sky and sunshine (that became my biggest enemy on the way home), the creek, the gorgeous sweeping trees, the serene farm land--such peaceful scenery. God created all this. I don't know how, He just did. And I certainly do not know when He's returning--so I will continue to live my life a day at a time and be the best person He created me to be. That's all He expects of me.
As an imperfect creature, I feel that there are things I will miss greatly about Earth--but I know that what He has in store for us is far more glorious than our present condition and even better than our very best of dreams. Our job here on Earth isn't to figure out when His return will be, but to be ready when He comes.
So we just have to keep running--putting one foot in front of the other--one breath at a time~each day knowing we are closer to knowing God. God bless, and take care, friends!
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