so i like living in texas…its been a good time so far and slowly i am feeling more at home…HOWEVER, there are a few things that suck about texas and not seeing my bengals today served as the inspiration for this post.

what texas doesnt have…

1. i cant watch uk games

2. i cant watch bengals games

3. there are no lightning bugs

4. i dont get to eat skyline

5. they have the fall season…but i use that loosely…so my favorite season basically gets skipped

6. there is no change in terrain…its kind of flat and ugly here

7. pepsi is rare, its all about coke down here

just a reminder of the small things that make life  more awesome to me…

lightning bugs, warm french fries, not being sick, climbing a tree, catching a frisbee, singing in the car, getting all green lights, waking up on your own, a cold pillow, camp fire, firework smell, 70 degree weather, canceled classes, high fives, stars, twilight, lyrical connection, midnight movies, pepsi, spontaneity, laughing.

i am a runner. always have been, and most likely always will be. one of the small blessings God gave me was the ability to run…and run…and run, and for some odd reason i just don’t ever get tired. i recognized this early on in my childhood and when i was 7 created a runner’s club with my best friend matt. dorky and true. all we did was run. when i got to middle school (‘95ish) i was delusional enough to believe i was going to run in the 2000 olympics. this love of running obviously led to taking up track, indoor track, aau track and cross-country in high school. but my identity as runner was not limited to track and xc but in other sports i was the idiot that always ran around constantly.

one of the main aspects of running that i enjoy is the endurance it takes to accomplish the goal of victory. it is much more a mental challenge than a physical one and it is at that breaking point moment when your body says stop but you go on. the feeling that what takes you past the physical limitations is a mental determination that without you cannot pursue victory. i also like the fact that you cannot simply go out and run a race and expect to succeed, but you have to put in hours of practice building up miles to your foundation. completion of any goal is much sweeter when effort and time is put into it and the goal is accomplished.

“i hated every minute of training, but i said, ‘don’t quit. suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion” – M. Ali

today i went out and ran as i try to build back up to where i was prior to my acl surgery. the things i love most about running became quite apparent to me. not only am i out of shape but my leg strength is weak at best. it was tough to endure through the run b/c the lack of a foundation that i had built for myself. i saw that my ability to endure through the tough moments of a run were directly tied into the time and effort i had put in prior to the test.

often it is through the things in life we are passionate about we find God reveal himself to us. naturally is this moment He was taking these virtues and applying them to my life in Him. we cannot hope to build a life in Christ without building a foundation through training, which allows us to endure through the tough moments of life. we are strong in Christ, as His strength becomes our own. He is the determination that allows us to overcome the physical limits of this earthly life as we head to our eternal life in Him.

we never know when God may decide to speak to us. how lucky are we that He sometime chooses unique avenues to do so?

i am a runner, and i desire to be a runner for Christ.