Obedience--Despite...

Around 6 a.m. I looked out the floor-to-ceiling windows of the condo my husband and I had rented in Gulf Shores, Alabama. I expected to see the sun slowly appear, as it had on previous mornings, looking like a gigantic orange ball emerging from the watery depths of the Gulf of Mexico.  

A "normal" sunrise!

Instead, all I saw was a long, narrow band of orange on the horizon line that separated the water from the overcast sky. I couldn’t see the sun as it rose higher and higher that morning. Neither could I marvel as its light created pastel colors in the sky. Neither did I have to shield my eyes as the sun flooded the room with brilliant light, as I was accustomed to doing. 

Yet, the sun was there, following its God-ordained path, doing exactly what God created it to do, and adhering to the schedule God had set for it.

Likewise, when God sent His Son to earth at the appointed time, Jesus did exactly what the Father sent Him to do, no matter what people of His day assumed He would. With various words and at various times, He expressed this truth to God the Father: “I have come to do Thy will–Thy will, not My will.” (See Hebrews 10:5-10, Luke 22:42, Matthew 6:10, Matthew 26:39-42, etc.)

Oh, dear reader, may you and I faithfully do what God created us to do despite the “daily-ness” of our work, despite the circumstances that reduce our effectiveness, despite the fact that others often fail to see the good work we’re doing, despite their lack of positive response to it, despite….

Never Give Up!

Dr. Jane Goodall, now 84, recalls the wise counsel her mother gave her many years ago when going to Africa and living with the animals and writing books about them was only a dream in young Jane's heart.

"If you really want to do this thing, you will have to work really hard, take advantage of all opportunities -- but never give up." (p.18, Renew magazine, Spring 2019)

Jane took her mother's advice and, consequently, has done far more than she ever imagined.

You and I will benefit from following Jane's mother's advice and that of the apostle Paul. 

Lessons from the 5K: #2--Stay the Course

Note: This is the second in a series of posts. Click here to read the previous one.

By the time I reached the point in the route where I was to make a left turn, I doubted I had enough strength to go the last mile or so. I was seriously considering giving up since the street onto which I turned would take me near the pavilion where my daughter and I had signed in.

I smiled weakly at the volunteer who was making sure everyone made the turn, and I managed to get enough breath to say, "I'm sorry...you've...had to wait...so long for me. Maybe...I shouldn't...have tried...to do this."

"Honey, you couldn't pay me to do what you're doing! And I bet you paid to do this, didn't you? So you keep going! You've almost made it to the two-mile mark."

I waved at her and walked on, staggering a bit from time to time. At the end of that block, I saw the pavilion in the distance. But a little voice in my head kept saying, "Stay the course. Stay the course. You've made it this far. Don't give up now. Stay the course."

So, with renewed commitment, I walked on, though I admit I looked longingly at the pavilion as I passed it.

Lesson #2: "Stay the course" even when you're tempted to give up! There's a lot of truth in the old cliche: "When the going gets tough, the tough get going." And I do want to be strong and to discipline myself to persevere rather than quit when life gets hard, don't you?

Persevere!

Decide to Do; Follow Through

Photo taken during a half-marathon (13 miles) at Orange Beach, AL.
J. Gaskill Photography

My daughter Jena set a goal to run 100 miles each month during 2017--and she exceeded it! Previously, she had not enjoyed running, but now she does. She takes time to run nearly every day; sometimes during her lunch break, sometimes before going to work, sometimes after getting home from work, sometimes in 5Ks and half-marathons, sometimes alone, sometimes with family, sometimes with friends, sometimes in the heat, sometimes in the cold. Running has become a priority for her. Consequently, she's reaching her running goals and experiencing the benefits of a more active lifestyle.

Seeing her set goals and work diligently to reach them inspires me to determine my priorities and do them. After all, deciding isn't worth much if there is no follow through.

Whatever you do, do [it] well. 

Ecclesiastes 9:10, New Living Translation