Run, Anna, Run

This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it. I must affirm this to myself each morning. Today I woke up at 4:30 am. I clearly felt the Lord impress upon me to get up and walk the treadmill. Not read His word, pray or something else spiritual, just get up and prepare to walk, exercise. Just when I wanted to rollover and tell myself the devil wants to make me grouchy, Kevin said I am getting up for work. Hmmm! Okay I will prepare and walk the treadmill. I get up wash my face, brush my teeth, dress in exercise clothes, and go get a drink of water. There in the kitchen is a pair of big brown eyes looking up at me. Jayden had woke up. She and her brother spent the night, as well as her mom. I pick her up, and tuck her in my freshly made bed. "Maybe I shouldn't walk. It is too early for her to be awake. She has school this morning." This is what I tell myself.

I keep the light on, grab my reading glasses and onto the treadmill I go. I put it on a moderate speed and start to pray. I clearly hear the Holy Spirit impressing on my heart to be diligent and focused on desire to lose weight and take care of the Lord's temple. I am full of excuses. Some sound very valid and are viable reasons for not exercising....but most are truly just excuses. It's truly not a lack of motivation for me but if I am honest it's a lack of respect for His temple and rejection of His help. It is a lack of obedience yet again apparent in my life. So I repent and I pick up a magazine to read as I walk. It is the January issue of Homelife, a Lifeway magazine we receive at church.

As I am reading, and walking, and looking at big brown eyes, I come across an article entitled, Don't Look Back. The first sentence states: Great runners never look back; they focus on the goal ahead of them. Well, I can verily walk so I am not going to read about running, but I do read it. The article continues to say: The Bible tells us that life is like running a race. We are to run with endurance the race that lies before us" (Hebrews 12:1) And like a well trained runner, we are not to look back. The past cannot be changed. We can only learn from our mistakes and successes and keep moving forward.

Ladies, I have started and stopped so many quests for fitness, health and diet in my life time. I have had some success and then I stop. Why? Not because, I don't have the right foods or time, but because of my lack of endurance. So where does one go for "endurance"? How does one keep up the "Faith" to trust God with our goals and allow Him to bring us to fulfillment or success? The article continues to state: The next verse in Hebrews tells us to "keep our eyes on Jesus, the source, and perfector of our faith"(12:2). Our problem is that sin trips us up.

This is it, girlfriends! Not only do I lack in respect, obedience, endurance, and faith, but I allow sin to trip me up. Sins that are a detriment to my fitness goals. The article is really an opportunity for readers to receive Christ as their personal savior, however, I used it as an opportunity to refresh myself and recommit to a life of repentance and honor to God. When I read in the article: A personal decision of faith is from the heart and begins with repentance - turning away from sin and running in the opposite direction. We run to Jesus and run away from sin. When it comes to sin, I try to justify my actions. Oh I can't walk, I should be folding laundry. I should ask my boys if they want to watch a movie. I really should spend more time with them. Creating a distraction from doing what is right and good and in God's will is a sin. It is this sin that I need to be "saved" from.

Romans 10:9 says:

"If you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord', and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."

I have confessed with my mouth, Jesus is Lord....but is He truly Lord of my life...my choices and decisions. I believe without a doubt that God raised Jesus from the dead...but do I believe in that power that He will see me through my diet/fitness goals. I am saved...saved from what? Death due to sin, well, yes! I need to live as a "saved" person. One who appreciates being delivered from the consequences of my sin. To live this way is to freely give my life to the Lordship of Christ. It's hard but I can be deliberate in doing so. I can run the race. It is this race I can participate in. It is this race where the goal is eternal life. I am a runner. I can achieve and by God's mercy and grace I will see the finish line.....and hopefully at the end of the race, I will see the tennis shoes on my feet, Lol!

I love you, my friends. It has been a good morning, complete with laughter of small kids, hugs and goodbyes from my big boys and not to mention yummy chocolate chip pancakes in the shape of Mickey Mouse heads and ears. I won't look at past failures and attempts for good health. I will heed the advice of this article: Don't Look Back (keep focused/endure).