Monthly Archives: August 2011

until the big day!

Tupelo is on it’s way! It is getting closer day by day. Two weeks from this very moment it will be over. He will complete what He started!

This week while Yoli and I were running she quoted Philippians 1.6 – being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

This journey is for Him! He started a good work in me when He helped me realize one of my talents is running. He has given me more opportunities to talk about what He is doing in my life through my running. (or at least I am more aware now than before)

The Lord truly amazes me how He continues to open doors to me for Him with my running. Just this weekend we ran the Mud Run. This is truly the best way to run a 5k ever! Mud, water, obstacles…fun! Anyway, at 10:00 pm the night before the race we found out that 2 of our 5 person team could not participate. Oh my! Panic mode hit…I am an early to bed person. For some reason, I was up to receive the text. If I hadn’t we wouldn’t have been able to participate. But, the Lord provided.

One of my dear friends who wanted to do it originally and could not was able to jump in…and then the wonderful world of Facebook helped us find another person. This is where God was so good. He provided us with a fellow believer who was a true team player. He helped us along the way as well as other teams! We knew God was behind it when he got out of his car and had on a Philippians 4:13 shirt. That verse was quite appropriate when we hit the several 8 foot climbing towers.

Philippians 4.13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength

It was awesome how the day played out. We met a new friend and had a great time with many others.

So back to the fact that I am 13 days away…this Mud Run helped me take my mind off of the serious training we have been doing. It was a day without the George the Garmin. It was a day to remember why we run! We run for God…We run for fun!

Then today’s run was the same. We had to run 12 with no pace requirement. Our directions were…just run, don’t push, just run. We had a great time exploring new territory. God’s creation surrounded us. We saw deer and more deer. We watched geese fly in a V to feed in a field. We experienced the sun come up over the river. It was God saying “Good Morning, glad you could join me!” It was a great way to start the day! We got up to run and we got to experience GOD!

Deuteronomy 33:13-16a
13 “May the LORD bless his land
with the precious dew from heaven above
and with the deep waters that lie below;
14 with the best the sun brings forth
and the finest the moon can yield;
15 with the choicest gifts of the ancient mountains
and the fruitfulness of the everlasting hills;
16 with the best gifts of the earth and its fullness

The earth is one of the best gifts from the Lord. I worship through nature. Today was a day that brought me back to one of the main reasons I run…it connects me to HIM! I am able to experience Him in a way that only happens out in nature with His creation!

This week we had a 12 miler on Wednesday. We ran it in the evening. It was HARD! As I struggled, Yoli spurred me on. We were able to finish and finish strong. We stayed within pace but it was HARD. These two scriptures came to mind:

Romans 5.3-5
3 Not only so, but we[c] also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

Proverbs 27.17
17 As iron sharpens iron,
so one person sharpens another.

Through my suffering and being sharpened along the course…I survived and finished well. This is my hope and prayer for the next to weeks. We will continue to sharpen one another and finish well the work He started for HIS DAY! To God be the glory!!

Running Blessed!

Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed– in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. (1 Corinthians 15:51, 52 NIV84)

How many of us go through life day to day thinking about how quickly things will change and how quickly we will be changed? Sometimes it takes something drastic to get our attention.

For some it could be like the tragedy in Indiana this weekend. People gathered at a state fair to hear country music and enjoy the fair. In the blink of an eye it all changed. The stage, the whole stage…lights, canopy, metal and all came tumbling down with strong wind storms. Those concert goers lives changed in an instant. Fun turned to chaos. Life turned to death. In the blink of an eye!

Today I had an “in the blink of an eye” moment. I took the day to go to a couple of doctors appointments. On the way to the 2nd one, I witnessed the truck in front of me get smashed by a car running the red light(our green light.) It happened in the blink of an eye. So fast…so quick…and the four people in the two vehicles lives changed. Thankfully, the police were there before I could park my car and get back to the scene. The situation was handled. I gave a statement as did another lady. As the police officer took our statement, he told us the driver who hit the truck said he did no wrong. He was innocent. Hmmmm…..

This got me thinking….first, how truly thankful I am that the Lord had me second in line and not first at the red light. Then I pondered how when it all changes for us literally…whether we die or the Lord returns…how many of us will plead innocent and say we were right and the Truth was wrong? How many of us will want another chance or know someone who may? How many of our loved ones and friends are we not sharing the Truth with because we are waiting on the right moment…waiting on when it is convenient for us? We may not get that chance. We don’t know what day will be our last run, our last walk, our last talk…it doesn’t come when it is convenient.

The driver that was hit today was truly inconvenienced. She didn’t plan on leaving by ambulance or having her truck towed away. But she was blindsided by someone else’s truth…

Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord and shun evil. (Proverbs 3:7 NIV84)

I am the first to say I need to work on sharing my Lord’s truth. I don’t want others to be blindsided. Will you join me?

Praying for the victims in Indiana as well as the victims in the accident today! Lord, help me share your Truth so the blink of an eye doesn’t blindside those around me!

(Today’s post is off the subject of running…but God was speaking around me today and I wanted to share.)

Running blessed!

Colossians 2.1-7 KJV

1 For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh;

2 That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ;

3 In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

4 And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words.

5 For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the stedfastness of your faith in Christ.

6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:

7 Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

Psalm 42:8 KJV

8 Yet the Lord will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life.

How powerful is the verse in Psalm 42…My life is God’s prayer.

Then to Colossians…We can choose to walk in Him(v.6) so we can have access to the treasures of wisdom and knowledge(v.3) because He is with us…yes, in us with the Holy Spirit(v.5). We are then to be rooted in Him so we can be built up and established in our faith…Abounding with THANKSGIVING!(v. 7)

It is our choice to make. Do we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior or do we try to gain wisdom and knowledge on our own? He is the only way to heaven…step by step…whether we walk or run.

Today, God has been revealing Himself to me in a consistent manner. It started with my devotional. Psalm 42.8 was the scripture reference. The devotional talked about allowing God to be our everything…to be our life. His Hebrew name El-hayya is translated just that “God of my life.”

As I thought about this and read the scripture in Psalm 42 I contemplated…Is God, god of my life? Do I allow Him to go with me everywhere and in everything? As I ran yesterday I was reminded once again of His beauty and His awesomeness. It has become very easy for me to bring God into my runs. He is literally what gets me through them…especially the long ones. I am praying and singing to Him the whole way. But, do I take that same attitude when I step through everyday life? At work? In the grocery store? While driving? Or while cleaning the house? As this was bouncing around my head I reflected on Saturday’s long run.

17 was the magic number yesterday. Yoli was doing an adventure race so I was on my own. Knowing this, I knew I would need others around me to get me to the end of 17. The Bayside Run for God group posted they were running on Saturday morning, so I decided to join them. I had the incredible pleasure of meeting “online” friends in person. These wonderful brothers and sisters in Christ have prayed for me and encouraged me through their words and prayers even though I hadn’t met them. Well, now I have and I am sooo thankful for God’s divine appointment. Have I mentioned how good God is??? 🙂 He allowed me to meet Nancy at a race and then follow up with her through the wonderful world of technology. Since then, we have a new circle of friends united by God and our love of running. God is our life when we run. We all love it and give Him thanks for allowing us to do it. 🙂

God knew I needed the extra support of other runners yesterday even though I was on my own most of the 17. But, the first 4.5 miles were full of enough fuel to get me through to the end. I ran side by side with Nancy, a new sister in Christ. We were able to share the ups and downs of our running and our walk(or run) with Him. How cool?? Once she turned around and I kept going out, I knew she and the others were out there running even though I didn’t see them. Just like the Holy Spirit…He is there even though we can’t see Him. We can feel Him and His prompting…as we see in Colossians. He is there to fill us and to guide us. He will fuel us to make the right decisions.

These scriptures opened up to me today starting with the devotional and then followed up by a powerful sermon by my pastor. It all fit. Now, you know when God speaks on the same subject back to back to back that He is speaking to you??? Right? 😉 My ears opened because I felt Him talking.

Is God my life? Is God my everything? Have I accessed the treasure of the Lord? Yes…I can say for sure that at the age of 9 God welcomed me to His family…but, can I say I access Him daily in a way I am spirit filled? No, not like I should or could. The amazing thing is that He still loves me and He is still with me even though I fail Him in my walk and run with Him.

I want to ABOUND as I run and as I walk with Him! I want to do it with thanksgiving! Thanking Him that He chooses to fill me with His lovingkindness daily and sing to me in the night! God loves us that much!! We don’t deserve it but He gives it freely!!! Let’s continue to walk or run with HIM and bring others along with us…so they can experience His treasure of eternal life.

Running blessed!

For those of you who have been following my post, you know that a couple of weeks ago I lost one before it was published. You also know I was pretty bummed about it. But, in retrospect I remembered I put Romans 8:28 at the bottom of the post and knew it was part of the plan for me to lose it. The plan was for me to write what I wrote that night tonight. Why? Because it honored my mom and dad who will be celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary tomorrow. So here we go again with some additions and deletions. :o)

Why do I run? That is a question I am asked a lot. This is a great question. I run to stay healthy. I run to relieve stress. I run to enjoy God’s beauty. I run because I can. :o)

Children’s children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children. (Proverbs 17:6 NIV)

It all started when I was young. I have two parents who are amazing people. Everywhere they go they leave a mark of kindness behind. They love God first, each other second followed by their family and then others. They are the pride of their three children. Right, Lisa and Rob? They have always taken care of themselves as God would have them. Health conscious was the norm. You remember Diet Coke’s predecessor? TAB. I can see the cans sitting on the counter. I am not sure TAB was real healthy…but I remember mom trying. :o) They walked. They played golf. They were very active.

The living, the living—they praise you, as I am doing today; parents tell their children about your faithfulness. (Isaiah 38:19 NIV)

Years ago, mom and dad started running together. That is where the mailbox story originated. We lived in the country and they would go out on the country roads to run. They started as non-runners just trying to make it to the next mailbox. They became runners. They ran in races. They showed us by example how to take care of ourselves through physical activity. I am SO thankful for this example. They continued to be faithful throughout the years. Mom and I have run races together. I have run races with my sister as well as my nieces. It is a family affair. One mom and dad started when they met 50 years ago.

“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the lord your God is giving you. (Exodus 20:12 NIV)

We joined in and somedays we liked it and others we hated it. But because we honored them we did it. 25-30 years later, I am thankful we did. I am were I am today because of my mom and dad. They have supported and honored one another through thick and thin. They have done what many don’t…they have run side by side no matter what the circumstances. They have lived out and will continue to live out Romans 8:28:

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

They were called to be married and to keep that commitment made in front of our Lord. They have learned through all things He will work out the good because they love Him. They have shown us how to live for Him. They gave us a foundation unlike any other…one grounded in Christ. When I say I am blessed…I am truly blessed.

So, why do I run? Because I had parents who cared enough for us to show us how to be physically and spiritually whole. Thank you mom and dad for running side by side for 50 years…here’s to many, many more. I love you both no matter what…forever and always!!!

Here is what I wrote for them on their special day:

HOW LONG IS 50 YEARS?

How long is 50 years?
Obviously, there are 50 years in 50 years.

But how many days, hours, minutes seconds?
18,262 days, 438,300 hours, 26,298,000 minutes, and 1,577,880,00 seconds!

But really, how long is 50 years?

50 years of marriage between you two,
can’t be measured by time but by LOVE.

Love for the Lord first and each other second.
Next is the love for us,
And then your love for others…your extended family.

The lives that have been touched by you two are too many too count.
You have blessed us and all that you have come in contact with beyond measure.
You have led by example as husband and wife, as parents, as employees, as friends and as bosses. You have shown us what it means to truly love without conditions.

LOVE YOU NO MATTER WHAT!
Love others no matter what!
Love the Lord no matter what!

That is what a 50 year+ marriage is all about. Loving through it all, no matter what!

So, how long is 50 years?
Just the start of an eternity of loving the Lord, yourselves, your family and others!

Thanks for showing us how it is done the right way…with the Lord as your guide.
Here is to many, many more years of happiness!

SPECIAL NOTE FOR MY OUACHITA FRIENDS AND FAMILY:

In honor of mom and dad, we are having a bench engraved with Romans 8:28 and their names placed on OBU’s campus. One day when we can no longer run or we just need a break, we can sit in the shade by the OBU Tiger and reflect on how two people met at OBU and made such a difference in so many lives!!!

We love you MOM and DAD…Congratulations!

1 Corinthians 3:5-16
5 What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. 7 So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. 9 For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.

10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. 14 If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. 15 If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.

Commentary on the above scripture: The true servants of Christ can do nothing without him. (5-9) He is the only foundation, and every one should take heed what he builds thereon. (10-15)

How did this play out today??? Wonderfully!!! God showed up and proved Himself once again. His spirit carried us through our 20 mile run today. This was my best training run EVER! I felt great from beginning to end. (MY feet were a little sore along the way…but felt great nevertheless.)

Who would ever think to describe a 20 mile run as wonderful?? I am still in shock I think that I did. Every step of the way we could feel the foundation we have been building the last month or two. It paid off today and will again on September 4. We were able to keep pace all 18 miles of the 20 we were supposed to. Our first and last mile were easy warm-up and recovery and we still had an overall pace of 8:48…with those two slower miles. WoW! Thank you Lord!!!

Yoli kept saying trust your legs. This is what we train for. We have the foundation. Boy, she was right. I am soooo thankful I have her to be my encourager and training buddy. God knew what He was doing when He placed us in the same place at the same time.

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, (Hebrews 10:24 NIV)

As with our walk of faith and our relationship with God…the foundation we build will show itself in times of “fire.” I think 20 miles equals fire…how about you? If I don’t start my day with Him and build on that foundation daily, I know that when I have stuff of the world hit me I don’t respond in a Christlike manner. But when I do spend time with him and allow Him to water me and grow me I respond so much better. My light is His light shining through me.

His light was shining today. His light gave us strength to do all 20 and do them well. When I got home from my run this morning, my husband asked me if I had run all 20. I said yes…he said really? He asked for two reasons…

1. My Runmeter on my phone stopped tracking us at mile 7 because I turned on Pandora Radio. We wanted to praise Him through song as we ran. It was truly amazing how the songs ministered to us as we ran. Awesome God!!!

2. I was bubbly when I got home. 20 mile run and bubbly don’t got together…:o)

So, I explained to Him how incredible my run was. I good I felt…how I felt God every step of the way…and how we experienced Him in the darkness with His protection from the mean black dog who chased us. (I won…he got maced.) We experienced Him in the beautiful sunrise. We experienced Him through song. We experienced Him with through encouragement from one another. We were co-workers in His field…we were His!

As the commentary stated above…We can do nothing without Him…and He is the only foundation and today He held true!!!

Thank you Lord for an amazing run today. You knew I needed to get past this hurdle mentally. You provided in a big way. I could not have asked for a better run. It is because of you I run and to You be the glory!!!

Tupelo….here we come!!!

Running Blessed!!!

This post is going to be all over the place. Kind of like I have been the last week and a half. I have run in two cities in Arkansas and back home. I traveled about 1800 miles in a car alone. Of course this provided lots of thinking time! So this post will be composed of my different running adventures my last week of vacation and first week back to work. God showed up everywhere…of course! He does that, you know?

The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” (Deuteronomy 31:8 NIV)

Random thought #1- The mountains…the ups and downs of Bella Vista/Bentonville, AR

So Abraham called that place The lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the lord it will be provided.” (Genesis 22:14 NIV)

This scripture came to life for me as I visited my parents last week. They live in northwest Arkansas in the Ozark mountains. The elevation 1033 feet. So there are lots of ups and downs…some steep, some rolling. The Lord provided during every run. I had one long run. It was a 14 miler. I decided to get away from the hills of my parents neighborhood and go into Bentonville where it was “flat.” Oh my…I was wrong.

Bentonville has a wonderful bike/walking trail system. It is well marked and keeps you off the main roads for the most part. Being in a new town, this was my choice. God provided beautiful scenery on the trails…Friendly people to say hi to…Bathrooms and water fountains along the way…and…a long, beautiful, (did I say LONG?) climb.

I knew I was in trouble after about one mile I came to a steep downhill. I thought hmmm…I will have to come back up this at some point. Sure enough, I did….for about 3-4 miles it was up, up, and up. Thankfully, His beauty was evident all the way up. They trail is next to a nature center and a multi-million dollar museum project. They are going all out to make it spectacular. And, they have. So, as I am trying to make it to the top I had plenty to take my mind off the pain. It helped at times! :o) So, I was “on the mountain of the Lord” and “it was provided.” It being the will to make it up and keep going because I knew it was the run I was to finish on that day.

Random thought #2- God’s people…the Spa Pacers of Hot Springs, AR.

Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers and sisters, even though they are strangers to you. (3 1:5 NIV)

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. (Ephesians 2:19-22 NIV)

So, on the Saturday after my 14 miler I find out I get to test my running strength and mental capability unlike I have every done before…I get to run a 16 miler three days afterword. Woo hoo!!! (this was not my first thought…more like NO, NO!) I had driven to Hot Springs, AR on Friday to visit with my lifelong friends for the weekend. One of my friends husbands is a runner. I asked him for a long running route that would be safe. He texted a friend of his and I was introduced to the Spa Pacers of Hot Springs.

This running group meets throughout the week to run…as many of us do here too. They met at 6:00 a.m.on Saturday downtown Hot Springs. I showed up on Saturday morning to conquer the physical and mental aspect of running a second long run in one week. The group welcomed me and three other out of towners with open arms. They were there to support, guide and help me through along the way. And they were strangers!!! How cool? Does God not call us to do this daily??? I was so moved by their kindness.

The majority of them were running 8 miles for the day. So, I figured at least I can run half of my run with them. That would be great. But it turns out, one guy was running 14. So I instantly had a running buddy. It was wonderful. We ran most of the first half together. He started earlier than the group so I was left to running part of it by myself. This was okay. I had new surroundings to run through to keep my mind occupied. It was great. We ran four 4 mile loops out and back to the cars to refuel. Each time the group shared water, Gu and encouragement. When I was running on my own they saw me out…they had finished and were waiting to eat at the Pancake House(no fair!)…and they yelled go Trish. Again, I don’t know these people, but they were there to encourage me all the way!

God’s people – we are joined together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit- fellow citizens with God’s people!

Random thought #3- God’s cotton candy – Reward for a long run

Do you know how God controls the clouds and makes his lightning flash? (Job 37:15 NIV)

Yesterday morning we had a 16 miler to run. Problem is…I started back to school this week and to get that much mileage in before work we had to get up before the roosters. :o) We did the best we could. We were able to get 12.5 in before I had to rush to get ready for school. We both committed to finishing the additional 3.5 on our own later in the day. Which we did! Yay!

God provided a reward at the finish line(almost finish line)…Blue and Pink Cotton Candy! He is around us everyday. Take the time to listen and look at His surroundings during every part of the day. He is there. We miss a lot because we are caught up in the busyness of life. Slow down…take it all in. He has shows His strength and presence in His creation.

Random thought #4 – God loves us no matter how bad the aroma…

But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. (2 2:14-15 NIV)

No matter how hot, how cold, how wet…we stink when we run. We all know that. But, God loves us anyway. Our family members and friends might not love us at the moment, but God does. One of the guys in the Spa Pacer group invited me to eat with them after my run at the Pancake House. It was very tempting but I passed because I had 8 more miles to go. He said, “They know we stink but they are used to our smell.” The smell was pleasing to the Pancake House staff because it meant $$ was being spent in their restaurant.

We need to be a pleasing aroma to the world in our walk(and run) so we can save souls for Him who loves us even when we stink.

Random thought #5 – Hummingbirds – Fight or share?

Have you watched the hummingbirds around their feeders? I know we all have. We have two feeders with 6 slots for them to feed. To be continued…

As I was finishing up this post I received a phone call that required me to then call my sister, Lisa. When she answered the phone she was very emotional…in a good way. She said “I can’t believe you called right now. I was going to call you.” :o) Great minds think alike! Lisa is visiting my mom and dad’s this week. She was just finishing up her walk through God’s country…the ups and downs of Bella Vista. She was touched by the beautiful surroundings…the blue birds, the woodpeckers, the Monarch butterflies and of course the deer. God showed up for her in a magnificent way today while I was typing this blog about the very place she was walking. Who, but God, could orchestrate that? His spirit was touching her as she walked and absorbed His splendor. Then we got to discuss the shared experience because of the necessity to call her was orchestrated by something not even related. How cool is our God???? He is AWESOME and AMAZING! Which makes me think back to the hummingbirds.

If we have something or know about something that is awesome and amazing then why don’t we share it? The hummingbirds have food…it has to be good because it contains sugar…:) To them it is awesome and amazing. Do they share? No! They want it all to themselves. So, they fight and chase one another off…instead of peacefully sharing. We might not fight as much or run others off…but why don’t we share?

Why don’t let others know about our AWESOME and AMAZING God that can orchestrate a phone call at just the right minute??? That can provide on the mountain tops? That can provide strangers as support? That gives us cotton candy and beauty to look at everyday? That provides support and encouragement through strangers? And finally provides a way to summarize all of this up with a phone call from my sister discussing hummingbirds? (We talked after I wrote the first 3 sentences of Random thought #5…the rest just fit perfectly after our talk. She was watching the hummingbirds in Arkansas and I was watching them in Tennessee.)

Again….How good is our God???? He is AWESOME and AMAZING!

He is the one you praise; he is your God, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes. (Deuteronomy 10:21 NIV)

A couple of days ago I posted the poem I wrote about our family’s mailbox story. I had also written a great blog entry to go along with it. While I was taking the picture of the mailbox I gave my dad one year for the post…I LOST the text of the blog. I cannot even begin to tell you how upset I was. Then I remembered the scripture I ended that text with…

Romans 8:28: And we know all things worked together for the good of those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose.

So, I knew there must be something else I needed to convey in my blog for the original one to be lost in cyberspace forcing me to rewrite this entry.

This is like life, right? We expect things to go a certain way or we finish something important only to not have our expectations met or our project appreciated. How do we feel? Mad(like I was the other night), frustrated(again, like I was the other night) sad, defeated…I could probably go on and on. Now, think about how God feels daily when we, as His children, fail to meet His expectations or finish something in His name. We are sinners. We mess up daily. We want to please God. We want to do what is right, but our sinful nature often derails us. Bumps in the road come and knock us of course. If you read the entire chapter of Romans 8 you will find in verse 5:

Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. (Romans 8:5 NIV)

Our minds should be set on the Lord daily. We should have the desire to meet His expectations when it comes to His will for our life.

It says in Psalm 5:3: In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice: in the morning I lay my requests down before you and wait in expectation.

As we ask Him to hear us, are we are to be open and willing to do His will not our own? At times, we try to put our own spin on it without His direction and sometimes He blesses us by catching and correcting for us before we make a mistake. Other times He allows us to fall, get back up and learn from the mistake.

How does this tie to the original mailbox story? Well, it does pretty well. As our Heavenly Father has daily expectations for us as did my earthly father this day. My mom and dad were runners. Growing up I remember them running in races in the area. I come by my running naturally.

In the 9th grade we were out running as a family for the first time. I wanted to quit. My dad used the tactic on me that my mom and dad used when they first started running together. They would encourage each other to “make it to the next mailbox.” That day as we ran around the neighborhood, dad was saying just make it to the next mailbox and I eventually made it home. His expectation was that I finish what I started and make it home without quitting.

As the poem states, this has been a life message for our family. Along with our goals and expectations we will have the disappointments. The unexpected bumps need to spur us on to do better and seek God’s wisdom. We need to strive to follow Him and live up to His expectations for us. This will take daily contact and communication because we are sinners. He wants us to make it to the next mailbox. He wants us to finish strong. He wants to be part of the journey. He want to lead us. So…What is your mailbox today?