Yes! You! Can!
July 12, 2020
I’ve jogged on and off over the years, but a few months ago, I decided to start taking it more seriously. That has meant waking up earlier than most birds even on mornings when I just don’t feel like it, replacing my old tired sneakers, cooking and eating more nutritious meals, and drinking water like a cow (almost). None of these adjustments have been as challenging as persuading myself that I can run longer than my mind suggests I can. Every time, at some point during the run, with only the pavement for company, a civil war over whether I can continue breaks within.
The apostle Paul understood this challenge when he likened the Christian life to running. It, too, requires commitment, endurance and persistence because as life’s uncertainties and trials pile on, we often wonder if we can get through it victoriously, if at all. Through a marathon with persecution, trials and imprisonment, Paul learned that he could. Indeed, he could do and endure whatever he needed to not by sheer force of will but by faith in God who gives his children strength to do anything he asks of them and the grace to go through anything life throws at them.
I’ve now run much longer than I thought I could, and because of it I often wonder what other self-imposed limitations may be crippling me. Now, whenever I hear myself thinking, “I can’t …” I’m skeptical.
What are you not doing because you think you can’t?
“I have the strength to face all conditions by the power that Christ gives me.” (Phil. 4:13 GNT)