born to run...

when i was in high school...a few years ago... ;o) ok...it has been longer than that...more like 29 years since i graduated...one of the things that i loved to do was to run...

i was on the track team...but only in long distance...somehow i was able to discipline my stride and last for the long runs...the short distances were a joke...i was just a little slow turtle...

for fun (yes...at that time it was) i would jog five miles a day...part of it was to keep in shape for the track meets...but when i ran...i always felt like there was nothing i couldn't do...and i truly enjoyed it...

as the years went by...and i started working...getting pulled into corporate america...my running started to become less and less of a priority...until one day...i completely stopped...

there have been many times that i have wanted to start it back up again...but i somehow convinced myself that i wasn't a runner...which...really...when i think about it...is...well...a crock...being that i know i used to run...

time and age got in the way...and i found myself reasoning with myself...i was really not born a runner and at this point...lacked the physical endurance and stamina that runners possess...

plus...i had a whole lot of other reasons for why i could not run...

if only i had a good pair of running shoes...
if only i had more time to run...
if only i had an mp3 player so i could listen to music while i ran...

if only, if only, if only...

i am so tired of "if only"

the thing is...my reasons...were just excuses...was i afraid that i would fail?
for me...i just needed to start...so...i started reasoning that i could take up running...

i realized that all these "reasons" were thinly disguised excuses to avoid the work that i knew running was going to be...
i didn't want to extend myself beyond my comfort zone...
i didn't want to strain every muscle in my body...
i didn't want to take time out of my already busy days and devote it to running...
i liked to talk about running "one day" but i didn't actually want to do it...

so, eventually i laid all my excuses and ventured out for that first run...well...actually i cleared off all the stuff that had accumulated on top of my treadmill...
i already had my ipod...full of more songs than a year of running would need...
i invested in a good pair of running shoes...
and i started...
it was grueling and humbling...
and surprisingly, i loved it...

as i was running the other day...well actually more walking then running...i thought about how much my attitude has changed since i started...if there is a day that goes by that i can't do it...i crave it...well...crave may be a bit strong of a word...but i do find myself looking forward to it...

as i thought about all the excuses i once used to avoid running...i was so glad that i eventually stopped hiding behind them and took the plunge...

the weather keeps me inside...but i am finding myself looking forward to spring...when i will be able to take it outside...and enjoy the beautiful places around my home...perfect for running...

this whole ordeal made me think of other areas in my life...this year has really been a break through for me...analyzing and thinking through why i do things that i do...or don't do things that i want to do...it has allowed me to step out...so to speak...but more than that...i have found myself doing a lot of things that i may not have done if i was still stuck in that "scared" mode...

perhaps you have been hiding behind some excuses of your own lately...maybe your excuses involve exercise...like mine did...or maybe they involve other things like why you can't give up a bad habit, why you aren't able to forgive someone, or why you are continuing in a sin God has been convicting you of...maybe you have been letting excuses keep you from an intimate relationship with God...

even as you read these words...maybe God is impressing on your heart that there is something you need to do...but you have been letting excuses serve as a barrier between knowing it and actually doing it...

i invite you to remove the excuses in your life...too choose one excuse today and begin to tear it down...taking just one brick out of the wall...over the next days and weeks...choose more bricks to remove...until one day...nothing is standing between you and that scary thing you know you need to do...

i am glad i stopped listening to my own excuses and accepted the invitation to venture beyond my comfort zone...

what i know...is that we are all born to run...as long as we grip the Father's hand with all our might and stop letting excuses keep us from taking that first step...