The Ability to Run is a Gift from God...

The Ability to Run is a Gift from God.
Just like all gifts from God, running should not be taken for granted. 

I only recently became interested in running (started enjoying running last year when I came to WSU). Previously, I used to make excuses not to run. These excuses ranged anywhere from: “Its hard”, “I can’t run fast or far”, or the simple, yet all too commonly said phrase, “I can’t.” Well, once I put effort into trying to run, I found out that all of my past excuses were disproven, because: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” ~Philippians 4:13

Last October, I ran a 5K for the first time in my life. Tomorrow, I am running that same 5K again, making this my 2^nd 5K. God gave me a gift of two legs that work. He gave me two legs so that I may use them to the best of my ability, in anything that I do. He gave me the gift of the capacity to live a physically active lifestyle, and He blessed me with the willpower to do so. It is my goal to run farther races soon: I'd like to do a 10K, and afterwards, would like to run farther races than that. :) My strength in God can take me far! Jesus said (Matthew 17:20), "If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, remove from here to yonder place, and it shall remove, and nothing shall be impossible unto you."

                    video: "My Redeemer Lives - A true Ironman story (Team Dick and Rick Hoyt)

This video inspires me to run: it inspired me in my first 5K, it inspires me for tomorrow’s 5K, and it inspires me every time I run. Actually, I see the Hoyt story as an inspiration anytime I do anything physically active at all. Through the story of Rick and Dan Hoyt, I see how very blessed I am. God has given me the ability to use both my legs and arms, I can speak, and so much more that Dan Hoyt is not able to do. I can do so many things that Dan Hoyt can only desire to do. When I watch this video, I realize that I need to be careful not to take for granted any of the ways that God has blessed me. I know that there are times when I have taken my gifts from God for granted, in fact, I probably take things for granted every day—I try not to, but it still happens. This may be because I don’t know the full worth of God’s love for me. I know that God loves me very much, but just as God’s love is insurmountable, it is also immeasurable. I think it is impossible to fully comprehend how much He loves me. As I grow in my faith, my concept of God’s love strengthens.

In Ephesians 3: 17b-19, Paul says, “And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”

God gave each individual person his or her own unique gifts, talents and abilities. We must use these gifts well, for together, we all comprise Christ’s body:

“Now you are the body of Christ…”  ~1 Corinthians 12: 27

“…God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as He wanted them to be.” ~1 Corinthians 12:18

“…there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.” ~1 Corinthians 12: 25-26

When we notice others who are less fortunate than us, no matter if it is just one aspect of their life, such as doing poorly in school, or if it they are struggling in something that encompasses and creates problems in other areas of their life (poverty, divorce, job loss, etc) we suffer with them.
We must reach out to help all people, both those we see struggling and those who keep their struggles hidden:

~Romans 12: 6-8 says, “God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well…If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging.”

~In Acts 20:35 Luke says, “In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

There are so many gifts that God has given me. It is my goal to not take any of these gifts for granted. I hope that every day I will see the full value of how blessed I am. I strive to thank God everyday for all that I hold important: everyone and everything in my life are gifts from God. When I think of this quote: “What if you woke up today with only the things you’d thanked God for yesterday?” I realize that I should graciously express my appreciation for God every day of my life.

Friendship

God calls me to be a good friend to many--to be a friend to all His people (all people on earth) whom I meet.

In regards to friendship, my study bible says:
"Love unconditionally." ~Proverbs 17:17

"Be available for advice." ~Proverbs 27:9
"Speak the truth." ~Proverbs 27: 5-6
"Be loyal." ~Proverbs 16:28
"Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God." ~Romans 15:7

My bible also says: "Maybe it's more important to be a friend than to have one."

My goal is to be the best friend I can be to as many people as I can. Even if I don't get an equal amount of support in return from those I befriend--If I put more into friendships than I get out of them, that's fine. Because my worth is in Christ--above all else, above all people, but especially above all things in my life, Christ matters most. He loves me so much more than I'll ever know.

I pray that everyone on His earth will know and feel Christ's abundant love. My prayer is that Christ would shine His light through me so brightly that when others see me and interact with me, they can't help but notice something special. I pray that Christ's light would project through me onto all whom I meet. Whether I only see/interact with someone once, such as in a public setting, or whether I see a particular person frequently: a family member, friend or classmate--no matter who I meet and no matter how long or short they stay in my life, I pray that my faith will be an example to them: I want my faith to be an example for all people.

I truly believe that laughter is the best medicine: no matter what one's problems are, if one can learn to laugh about them, things will improve. To me, laughter is the first step anyone must take in order to improve his/her quality of life. I hope I make all of the people in my life laugh--even those aforementioned people in public with whom I may not be likely to interact with more than once. If I can even just make someone smile, if I can brighten anyone's day, my days brightens, too.

Here are a few verses which offer a glimpse at what God says about laughter:

Psalm 126:2
Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then they said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.”

Genesis 21:6
And Sarah said, “God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over me.”  

Psalm 4:7
You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound.

God desires for all people to rely on Him: to understand that we aren't meant to go through life without trusting in Him and requesting His help. He is with us through all of our challenges; He stands by us in life's darkest moments. His love overflows upon us at all times, no matter what sin we have committed, God doesn't care: because His love NEVER fails.

In our darkest moments, God may be hard to find, but we must know that He is there always; He is a beacon shining to us, and He is desperately hoping that we will see His light. At times, His light may seem dim, but it only seems this way: in truth, His light is shooting off fireworks in the sky. God is shining His light for all to see, but we sometimes let our fears, challenges, and situations negatively affect us so that we are blinded from seeing God's light.

That being said, God wants us to remember that He is there and to patiently present our requests to Him. These verses are important to keep in mind:

Psalm 138:8
“The Lord will work out his plans for my life--for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever.”

Ephesians  3:20

“God can do anything, you know--far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams!”

Luke 11:9

"And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you."

Isaiah 40:31
"Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint."

Psalm 37:4
"Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart."

Psalm 37: 23-24

“If the Lord delights in a man’s way, he makes his steps firm; though he stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.”

Ecclesiastes 11:10
"So then, banish anxiety from your heart and cast off the troubles of you body..."

1 Peter 5:7

"Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you."

and last, but not least (this is one of my favorites!!): "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." ~Philippians 4:6-7

Back to my topic, friendship: Only God knows how far gestures of kindness go: we may see our gestures of kindness as small, especially those gestures which only take a moment or two out of our day. But I believe that to God, no gesture of kindness is considered too small. We, as God’s people, comprise His body on earth (1 Corinthians 12). Each of us plays a unique part in God’s plan; each of us is the only individual created by Him to complete the specific plan we are each called to. Our hands and hearts do the work that God can’t physically do: the work that He does in spirit by calling us to do things for His purpose.

“Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” ~Proverbs 19:21

“But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives…things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity…we find ourselves involved in loyal commitments.”~Galations 5:22-23

 And I’d like to end here, with this verse:

“Do not be terrified, do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” ~Joshua 1:9

May…”The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” ~Numbers 6:24-26