I have a friend who discovered that she loved running as an adult. When her kids were half grown she trained and put in the hard work needed to start. She loves half marathons but has pushed through a number of marathons as well. She finishes marathons and says, “I don’t know that I’ll ever do that again!” yet she ran another a few weeks ago. On her birthday. For fun.
The only word I have for that is—-Astounding!
As we linger over coffee she filters through thoughts trying to explain why she relishes the experience. Basically she loves the joy of being pushed beyond what she thinks she can endure and finding out that there’s more in her than she thought, that she can actually do it. I have an ‘ah ha!’ moment as she speaks and realize that was part of the adventure to me the few years we lived in Calcutta, India. It was crazy hot, physically hard, and took lots of time to just survive and look after my family, plus we had to constantly work to learn the language; but I enjoyed the challenge. I was living something that a lot of people couldn’t, or at least wouldn’t do. It felt like a massive achievement.
To push ourselves and feel the satisfaction of finding the strength to do something amazing is a basic human drive that motivates many to produce the extraordinary.
Being human has it’s limitations, however. We can only push so far, reach so high, try so hard, dig so deep, be so ‘good.’ That’s why one of the most breathtaking things about being a follower of Jesus is experiencing life with His limitless energies, capacity, wisdom, knowledge and power raising us up out of our ordinary humanity to be MORE.
On our very BEST day, more than we could ever be on our own.
So why do we frequently forget our own limitations and try to see how far we can make it on our own? We eventually become desperate and dry and flounder back to Him crying, “God, where were you?” when He was there all along patiently waiting for our childish hearts to look up and remember that He is the Source. To remember that sometimes doing what seems like nothing—is actually everything.
“It strikes me increasingly just how hard-pressed people are nowadays. It’s as though they’re tearing about from one emergency to another. Never solitary, never still, never really free but always busy about something that just can’t wait. You get the impression that amid this hurly-burly, we lose touch with life itself. We have the experience of being busy while nothing seems to happen. The more agitated we are, the more compacted our lives become, the more difficult it is to keep a space where God can let something truly new take place.” -Henri Nouwen
Space to breathe, to refresh, to listen…..
Sometimes the reason we strike out on our own is pride, but sometimes I wonder if it’s because we simply have a skewed understanding of Who God is. We think that His way is just too hard. Or that He is too demanding.
But there are words like this:
“As pressure and stress [from the world around us] bear down on me, I find you in your commands. Your laws are always right; help me to understand them so I may live.” ~Psalms 119:143-144
God’s Word is not intended to be stress producing, but freedom bringing. The Bible isn’t intended to bind us up in a straight jacket, but to protect us and guide us on the best path that leads to joy and peace. To set us free! “God is love.” (1 John 4:8) “He is gentle and humble in heart” and brings rest to our souls. (Matt. 11:29)
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” ~Psalms 119:105
All over the Psalms are verses of thankfulness for God’s direction through His Word of Life. (Psalms 119 is an especial example of this!) I love how this particular verse implies darkness through the need for a lamp and a light. For anyone who has ever walked an unknown or dark treacherous path, you know that the light is a very welcome thing!
Sometimes, just like when we’re physically ill there are times that all we can do is lay down and rest. But like eating again after a stomach virus, as soon as we can, we need to ‘eat’ again of his Word and renew our strength.
Our culture preaches self-sufficiency, but still recognizes the necessity for the basic needs of food, water and shelter. We don’t deny these physical needs. Maybe we need a deeper understanding that God’s Word really truly is spiritual food. Without it, the tool that most directly feeds us and draws us into relationship with our Shepherd, we will wander off looking for nourishment elsewhere and starve.
Just like God showed Elijah that He didn’t intend to be heard through the wind, earthquake or fire, He wants to speak to us the same way He did back then, in the quiet place, in a gentle whisper. (1 Kings, 19:12) What an amazing example of His character and Who He is!
We need to feed ourselves to grow, to survive. The amazing by product of tapping into our Father through His Word is this, “Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him.” (Col. 2:7)
Just like so many things with God, this upside down path of the simple leading to the amazing is the REAL path to producing the extraordinary.
Just strap your seat belt on for the life ride that He takes you on then!!!
Heather Pound 