January 25, 2008

I will not leave you all alone like children without parents. I will come back to you. In a very short time the people in the world will not see me any more. But you will see me. You will live because I live. On that day you will know that I am in the Father. You will know that you are in me and I am in you. John 14:18-20

Many of you are now aware that I have taken up running again...well I guess you can call it that. It probably looks more like shuffling some days! But I am sticking with it.
Anyway, something terrifying happened to me today!
I had to run alone!
That's right...you heard me.
The dreaded solo jog!
I had to run without my partner, my sidekick, and my sister.
She wasn't there to encourage me along the path and to remind me to breathe.
Now I know that may not seem earth-shattering to you, but do you know how hard it is to motivate this forty-something year old body to run (even if it is at a snail's pace) in frigid January temperatures? I struggled.
This experience was not pleasant.
Five minutes into my run, however, the Lord spoke to my heart. I was amazed I could hear Him over my heavy breathing and pounding heart!
But seriously, He spoke to me. He said I will not leave ..... I will come to you. I looked that up when I got home....that's a promise in the Word from John 14:18. Jesus told his disciples that after he left, God, the Father, would send the Holy Spirit to be with them, be in them, and come and help them. Running alone today reminded me of how impossible it is to live daily without the presence of the Holy Spirit's empowerment. I need the filling of the Holy Spirit daily to run this race of life.

"Don’t ever forget that you cannot do what God has called you to do. You cannot parent that child, love that husband, care for that elderly parent, submit to that boss, teach that Sunday school class, or lead that small-group Bible study. God specializes in the impossible, so that when the victory is won and the task is complete, we cannot take any credit. Others know we didn’t do it, and we know we didn’t do it. We must always remember that we can only live the Christian life and serve God through the power of His Holy Spirit. As soon as we think we can handle it on our own, we become useless to Him. We have to be willing to get out of the way, let God take over, and let Him overshadow us." (Nancy Leigh DeMoss)