Running the Race -- Urbanathlon Chicago 2011

"Therefore … let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” (Hebrews 12:1).

I fanned open my bible to Hebrews 12 and read the verse.  It is a familiar one to me. I’ve read it, leaned on it and had often done so.  

Right before the race (Urbanathlon Chicago 2011) (click to see the course -- 10 miles and 7 urban obstacles through the city of Chicago) I tucked it away in my in my mind. The thing is, I knew that I needed it.

The race set before me that day was a physical one. I trained. I ran. I applied BioFreeze to my sore muscles and foam rolled tight muscles frequently.  I was ready, physically, but it was the negative self-talk that was weighing me down.

I have issues with this problem, not just when I run a race, but in life.  Like cockroaches in the dark, words of negativity about myself scurry around, creeping me out and keeping me back.

Words like …

You’ll never finish.

You’re not strong enough.

Who do you think you are?

Why do you even bother trying?

You’re just going to disappoint yourself – and worse, yet, others.

I don’t know where they come from or how they get in, but suddenly, there they are. Like I said, creepy.

So, as I worked up to and stepped up to the starting line a couple of weeks ago, I clung to this verse.

Throw off everything that hinders – all the NEGATIVE SELF TALK – and run the race marked out for you.

I’m still reliving some of the moments of the race, and still smiling.

My goal was to finish the race – finish the race with a smile on my face for my kids – and I did.

That's me in the middle, getting a boost from below, over the last obstacle -- the 8 foot wall.

I didn’t do it perfectly. I needed a boost over a few of the obstacles (the giant tractor tire and the eight foot wall at the end). I tripped once along the way (and felt sorry for the guy behind me. I think I almost gave him a heart attack as I flew forward, catching myself before the ground caught me). I had to take the “penalty push-ups” when I couldn’t get over the marine hurdles, but I made it across the monkey bars without falling (and did a little victory dance when I got through them).

Over a police barricade near the beginning of the race. I was still feeling fresh ...

That's me in the lime green, getting ready to crawl over the bus.

I'm making my way through the mud, and over a taxi ...

AND I had fun. I ran with courage and strength, determined to do my best. I persevered and stepped on a few cockroaches of negative self-talk along the way (can you hear the crunch? I know – gross!), as I climbed over police barricades, slopped through mud and made my way over a city bus and taxi cabs. I enjoyed the scenery and I enjoyed the people that I chatted with along the way.

It was good. God is good for continually teaching me, transforming me in all things.

I finished, and I’m proud of myself for taking on the challenge and conquering the race, but maybe even more so, overcoming the obstacle of my negative self-talk and  facing my fears.

A Time for Good-byes ...

It’s not that I can’t wait for summer. I love summer and I love summer with my family.

It’s just that there is something about this time of year that produces in me a surge of sentimentality.

I’m all choked up.

Tears are close to the surface, occasionally breaking through and slowing rolling down on to the pillow of my heart.

Today is the last day of school for my little ones. Shortly, I will head over to sit back and relax and watch the “Learning Celebration,” where each child will be given a “Christ-like characteristic” that their teacher has witnessed in them this year.

It’s a beautiful time to sit back and relax and enjoy – but,  invariably, my heart will also sit back and be heavy.

I think it’s the “good-byes.”

It’s the change.

It’s the moving from the familiar into the unknown of the future.

Before I know it, my mind is flooded with vignettes from my past of “good-byes.”  Good-bye’s to dreams. Good-bye’s to friends. Good-bye’s to love ones. Good-bye’s to …

I can’t quite put my finger on it, but maybe these “good-byes” are milestones marking time.

Perhaps, they mark time of what – was, was not, is and is yet to be.

It’s confusing, like so many things in life – a swirl of excitement and sorrow. 

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:

A time to be born and a time to die,

A time to plant and a time to uproot,

A time to kill and a time to heal,

A time to tear down and a time to build,

A time to weep and a time to laugh,

A time to mourn and time to dance,

A time to scatter stones and time to gather them,

A time to embrace and a time to refrain,

A time to search and a time to give up,

A time to keep and a time to throw away,

A time to tear and a time to mend,

A time to be silent and time to speak,

A time to love and time to hate,

A time for war and time for peace.”

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Dear Lord,

Thank you for your faithfulness.  Please help those of us who may be standing on the precipice of change, having to say good-bye to things we have, people we love, dreams we’ve pursued, to give thanks and rest in Your love for us. Help us to remember that You are in control of all things and that You are good. 

Amen

Appreciating the Little (Which Really are Big) Things

“When Spring finally comes you have to look every day for what’s new, otherwise you’ll miss it!” – My dear friend, Dorothy.

Dorothy approached my table at our Women’s Bible study, talking about Spring.  I wish you could hear her speak.  With a beautiful, British accent, her voice carries along on what seems like a ribbon of fragrant lilacs.  I love listening to her talk. I love listening to her wisdom. I love what she said about Spring, and I love her.

She was talking about Spring in Wisconsin.  It’s been a tough one for us.   Surprise snow storms.  Cold, rainy/sleety days.  One just never knows what’s going to happen in Spring. Even today I heard that we are under a Winter Weather Watch for tomorrow and Wednesday!

Anyway, I’ve been thinking a lot about what Dorothy said.

I’m intrigued by Spring.

I’m even more intrigued – more like moved – by the Lord and His ways.

One of the things about me is that, sometimes, I’m just looking for the “big, beautiful bloom” – and I miss the little green growth – the little green gifts.

In Spring – and in life.

Despite the chilly temperature of 35 degrees today, mid-April,  I took a walk through my yard and looked for new growth. I had to get down to the ground and look closely, but it was there. Little bits of life bursting through the soil.

How anything springs forth out of the ground, I’ll never know -- but it does, in God's good timing and in His way. 

I’m working on changing my point of view about what the Lord is doing in each day, too.  I’m diligently, carefully looking for the life and truth and love that He brings about NEW every day, in every way.

Things like:

* Time to talk to my son while rubbing his back.

* An unexpected opportunity.

* A phone call from an old  friend on my birthday.

* A snuggle with my girls.

* An encouragement from God's Word.

* A hand-made gift, dropped off at my home by a friend and her family.

* A reminder that I am loved via a song on the radio.

How about you, dear reader?

Do you sometimes miss seeing the little (which really are big) bits that the Lord has just for you?

Second Annual -- Change 4 Change 4 Jesus

It’s official – we are calling Change 4 Change 4 Jesus a Christmas tradition at our home and the second episode in what we hope to be a long running series took place last night.

Just like last year (click here to read the story of how I came up with the idea), I announced “On your mark! Get set! Go!” and the children took off to all corners of the house. They did not leave a potential hiding place of change undisturbed – my purse, their banks, the car, between couch cushions, in coat pockets, the junk drawer, dad’s dresser, and more. 

The pile of metal gradually grew on the family room floor and then the counting began.  Quarters, nickels, dimes and pennies were sorted, grouped and added up, for a grand total of $59.32.

Although excitement abounded, a faint whisper of disappointment rustled through all of our hearts. Last year  we found an amount much greater than we imagined – the fact that we had all the change from our garage sale, helped a lot, not to mention, that we had never done this before.  It’s not that nearly $60 was not a lot, it’s just that …

And then we talked about how the dollar amount is not important to the Lord, our offering it up to Him – to help His loved ones – is what is important. He would take care of multiplying it, as we placed it in to His hands.  He often uses little things for great purposes. He’s known for doing amazing things!

In addition, unlike last year when we decided to share the money with a sweet local family in need and with Gospel for Asia buying chickens,  this year we did not come up with a firm decision on what the Lord was asking of us.  We all remained relatively silent on who should be the recipient.  All that we could agree on was that it should be someone local – an individual or a family – not an organization.  But, whom should we choose?

This is where we sit currently, a bag full of change and a desire to share it with someone in need.  We agreed to pray about it and listen intently to the needs around us, as we go about our daily activities.  One thing is for certain, the Lord knows who the right person is and He will show us as we continue to seek Him. Perhaps there will be a good lesson in this, too.

Our family would like to extend to your family the Change 4 Change 4 Jesus challenge – a Christmas tradition for a change.  And we’d love to hear from you as to what you did and how you shared your gift – the gift that God gave through you.

Enjoy, my dear readers. It is a precious memory, with a beautiful purpose – sharing the love of Jesus.

PS -- Feel free to share in the comment section below any ideas you may have on who you would like to see helped during this Christmas season.

Seasons of Change

“What did you sell today, Mom” my middle daughter chirped as she hopped in the car, after school. Day one of the garage sale was over. The children worked hard at helping me and were excited about the profits that they would gain.

“Let’s see. We sold the punching bag, some movies, the dresser, vases with flowers, some clothes, the red scooter and the large jogging stroller.”

On mention of the last item, I glanced back in the rear view mirror, and noticed that small tears were running down her sweet face.

“What’s wrong, honey? What are you sad about?”

“It’s just that I’m going to miss that jogging stroller. I loved that stroller. It was always so fun to be in, and now it’s gone."

It’s been said that one thing we can count on to stay the same is – change. Cleaning out and getting rid of things in a garage sale reminded me of that. I reminisced about times things had been used, how time passes and how so much does change. Even my daughter, who recently rarely was a passenger in the jogging stroller, still felt the tension of change (although small)– letting go of something that somewhere deep inside, had meaning to her.

Change is all about us right now. September in the Midwest is a season of change. The trees start to turn from green to gold and orange. The wind becomes dry and the grass brown. The smell of paper, pencils and new school supplies fills the house. Seasons change. Clothing styles change. Our health changes. Our stage in life changes. Places change. People change.

Our life circumstances are constantly changing, in big and small ways. Sometimes the change happens quickly, other times slowly. Difficult diagnoses. Job losses and gains. Kids going off to school. Family members going off to war. We may change houses, cities, or countries. The dynamics of our families may change. We may suffer loss in the form of the death of a loved one or divorce. We may lose a dream.

Dear reader, we are faced with all sorts of uncertainties and sometimes, tragedies. We find ourselves needing to adjust to a “new normal” and overwhelmed with how we are going to do that. What is it going to look like? Whom do we turn to? How do we find solace and rest? What or whom can we depend on when change is all around us?

Our only hope can be in the One who never changes (Malachi 3:6). The Lord is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow - forever. Life is always changing and sometimes those changes can be difficult. However, let changes in your life be the cord that draws you to the One who never does change. Let the evidence of change around you be a reminder of God’s faithfulness. No matter what, in season and out of season, through all the storms and strife, big and little, He will never abandon you nor change. He is the Lord who is faithful, forever (Psalm 146:6).