I woke up both yesterday morning and this morning with butterflies in my stomach and with an excitement rising in me because the marathon is almost here. It's been a long 18 weeks with some great days and some tough patches too with injuries and setbacks. Not only has it been countdown to the race, but also a countdown until you all come home!!
Yesterday, this verse kept going through my head:
"Therefore since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles and let us run with perseverance the race that has been marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. For the joy set before him, he endured the cross, scorning its shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." Hebrews 12:1-3
And this morning, I read this and loved it...
"If you want to gain practice walking in the Spirit or abiding in Christ or tending the inner flame, you can start when you wake up tomorrow morning. Before your feet hit the floor, open your heart to the Spirit. Ask God to help you walk in the Spirit, step by step through the day. Ask God to help you abide in the Vine so good fruit will naturally develop in your life. Ask God to keep the fire burning within you. Just starting the day this way will make a difference.
As you build that habit of yielding yourself to the Spirit morning by morning, you can build the habit of checking in with the Spirit hour by hour throughout the day. At each mealtime, you can offer a prayer of thanksgiving and you can reconnect with the Spirit. As you travel from place to place, as you wait for someone, whenever you have a fee moment, you can offer yourself to God: "Here I am Lord. Please move in and through me to bless others." Whenever an emergency or challenge arises, you can lean in on the Spirit. "Give me wisdom, Spirit of God. Give me strength. Give me patience." When you sense that you've let something other than God's Spirit fill you and direct you-- anger, fear, prejudice, lust, greed, anxiety, pride, inferiority, or rivalry, for example-- you can stop, acknowledge your misstep, and re-surrender to the Spirit. It's like breathing-- exhaling an acknowledgment of your misstep and inhaling forgiveness and strength to start walking in the Spirit again.
At the end of the day, you can look back with gratitude, reseting in the Spirit until a new day begins and you continue walking the journey of faith. ...
If we don't give up, as mile adds to mile, each of us will have some stories to tell...stories of how the Spirit guided, empowered, inspirits, restrained, sustained and trailed us in the fine art of aliveness."
-Brian McLaren We Make the Road by Walking
So tomorrow, I will wake up super early to drive to the start line and my prayer will be that my heart will be open to the Spirit all through the course. Elizabeth, I will certainly know that your hand is on my back all the way! (and how could I not mention of course that one light at the end of the tunnel for sure is that you all will be home in a week!)
"Therefore since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles and let us run with perseverance the race that has been marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. For the joy set before him, he endured the cross, scorning its shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." Hebrews 12:1-3
And this morning, I read this and loved it...
"If you want to gain practice walking in the Spirit or abiding in Christ or tending the inner flame, you can start when you wake up tomorrow morning. Before your feet hit the floor, open your heart to the Spirit. Ask God to help you walk in the Spirit, step by step through the day. Ask God to help you abide in the Vine so good fruit will naturally develop in your life. Ask God to keep the fire burning within you. Just starting the day this way will make a difference.
As you build that habit of yielding yourself to the Spirit morning by morning, you can build the habit of checking in with the Spirit hour by hour throughout the day. At each mealtime, you can offer a prayer of thanksgiving and you can reconnect with the Spirit. As you travel from place to place, as you wait for someone, whenever you have a fee moment, you can offer yourself to God: "Here I am Lord. Please move in and through me to bless others." Whenever an emergency or challenge arises, you can lean in on the Spirit. "Give me wisdom, Spirit of God. Give me strength. Give me patience." When you sense that you've let something other than God's Spirit fill you and direct you-- anger, fear, prejudice, lust, greed, anxiety, pride, inferiority, or rivalry, for example-- you can stop, acknowledge your misstep, and re-surrender to the Spirit. It's like breathing-- exhaling an acknowledgment of your misstep and inhaling forgiveness and strength to start walking in the Spirit again.
At the end of the day, you can look back with gratitude, reseting in the Spirit until a new day begins and you continue walking the journey of faith. ...
If we don't give up, as mile adds to mile, each of us will have some stories to tell...stories of how the Spirit guided, empowered, inspirits, restrained, sustained and trailed us in the fine art of aliveness."
-Brian McLaren We Make the Road by Walking
So tomorrow, I will wake up super early to drive to the start line and my prayer will be that my heart will be open to the Spirit all through the course. Elizabeth, I will certainly know that your hand is on my back all the way! (and how could I not mention of course that one light at the end of the tunnel for sure is that you all will be home in a week!)
email from Elizabeth:
ReplyDeleteDearest Emily,
It is race day for you. Sunday the 14th. In 9 hours you will be on the road traveling to do the thing you have been training to do. That training has brought you much strength and humility. This race will be a big test of your humility and strength.
I am going for a run now and will visualize that I am there with you. I will pray that tomorrow you will feel Gods spirit at your back propelling you forward.
After this, perhaps the next run you do will be together with me (?)
In nine hours I will be routing for your body to feel good, your mind to be wrapped in the experience with peace and for the finish line to come soon.
Lots of love to you,
Elizabeth