So yesterday was my long run. I completed SEVEN miles. Never in my life did I think I could do that. I remember seeing an Instagram from Christine Caine talking about how nothing clears her head more than a seven mile run. It was like, no big deal, I just ran seven miles ON A TREADMILL. Just a day in the neighborhood. I was floored and thought, "Yea that would clear my head...because I would be too dead to think."
So I employed every mental trick I had up my sleeve yesterday. I knew I had run six miles and I wasn't THAT tired at the end, so I shouldn't be that dead at the end of seven. It didn't help to think about the fact that I had enough time to run to listen to three podcasts. Add that it was going to be too far for our dog to go and that we could actually park the car at the park, run back to the apartment and let her stay and run back to the car with pavement to spare.
We ended up spending an hour and a half to run. Nothing for an hour and a half but the sound of feet pounding the ground, cars if we got to the street, and birds if we get to the trails.
What I found is that I severely doubted my ability and I went REALLY slow. Yes, my legs hurt. But my loving husband pointed out that I could have pushed myself a little harder and then gotten that much more out of my run physically and psychologically. I also found that I could either think about two things.
1) I could think about what was going on now. I could listen to my podcast and learn and enjoy the trail I was running on.
2) I could think about how far I had to go and feel the panic start inside of me.
If we think about life, we are on a long road. Personally, if I look at my life right now, I've got a ton of things going on. We are moving to Dallas. I've got to train and transition my team at my current position. I've got to meet and transition into my new team in Dallas. I have to find an apartment, a second job. Jared's going to be gone at training leaving me by myself for a good portion of this change. I feel like my biggest obstacle is to go through my apartment and clean and pack everything up! But with this current change in life, I could think about it two ways.
1) I could think about what's going on now. I can listen to what's going on around me and help those who are transitioning due to my transition. I can still teach and love and learn. I can enjoy the time I have.
2) I could think of all the stuff I have to do and the things to come and the uncertainty and feel the panic start to creep up.
See the parallel?
No matter what's going on in your life, you have the opportunity to enjoy any circumstance you find yourself in. In running, circumstances change. Pains come and go, environments change, you get faster and slower. In life, circumstances always change. You can get frustrated about the pain, or you can stay obedient to the race you are living and put one foot in front of another towards the call that Christ has placed upon you. God has orchestrated so much already in my transition and I know He will continue to take care of everything else in the meantime of my change.
So I'm making a choice to not just survive through the crazy times. I'm going to flourish by enjoying the time I'm in right now and working step by step to be the best God has called me to in the future.
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