I just ran four miles… in my pajamas. I was supposed to run six, but I only finished four. And that’s OK for today. Here’s a story…
Once upon a time, there was a girl who turned into a woman and then a wife and then a mother. She loved the Lord with all of her heart and loved her family so so much. (Author’s Note: I just googled Tom Petty lyrics.) Loved her mama, Jesus, and America, too. Yes, all of that. Though this woman had lots of love for others, it was really hard for her to love herself. Then one day, she got on the treadmill in her pajamas.
The last year has been so odd. In some aspects of my life, everything has been a dream, in others, there have been nightmares. My relationships have taken a toll, and my health has plummeted, yet I have been ready to redeem all of that for a while now.
So I started spending more time in with the Lord. Started treating my family with more kindness. Started leading as He’s called me to. Started getting back to healthy. And I am in a really good place. Today.
One of my “get back to healthy” tactics was to sign up for a half marathon. I’ve done a few in the past so I know that a training schedule is extremely helpful. This morning, my training schedule called for six miles. I had the time. I had the space. But I haven’t kept up with the training schedule yet, so it seemed nearly impossible for me to even run a 5K straight thru.
I got on the treadmill optimistically. Started it up and got to about mile 2.5 and and then the pain started. My feet felt as if blisters were imminent. I tried to focus on my stride and take the focus off of my pain, but it didn’t work. I was going to stop the treadmill and be done for the day, but I hit pause instead. In that moment, I remembered I had an extra pair of socks in my workout bag in my car. Have you ever run in the wrong socks? It happens, and it is usually painful.
After switching into the new pair, I got back to it and in the podcast I was listening to, the speaker started talking about Genesis 41:52. It’s a single verse that I’ve read over a hundred times, but it hasn’t held significance before. The Bible is the Living Word of God. It changes for you as you find it more and more significant.
Genesis 41:52 says, “The name of the second he called Ephraim, “For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.”
Joseph was naming his son and was paying tribute to the fruit that came out of a difficult place.
My difficult place of developing blisters was nothing compared to what Joseph had been thru. But do you know what was the same? The enemy trying to convince me that I should give up.
At mile 2.5, I could have shut it all down and gotten on with my day. My workout would’ve been completed and things would have gone just fine. But God… God gave me perseverance and a new way. After switching socks, I ran faster than before. I was running easier than before. There was fruit in my affliction.
So when I crossed over the four mile mark, I knew that six miles was on my schedule. I have a tendency to do what others tell me to, not what God lets me rest in. Today was different. I rested in the fact that I could’ve stopped earlier, but God gave me a future and a hope for better things. And He can do the same for you.
Lyndie Metz 