So I was deep into the heart of my next marathon training. I was down to just a few weeks remaining before race day on April 30. But something happened along the way. And I think I can trace it back to that Sunday morning run across the dam a few weeks ago. Because nothing has been the same since then.
I finished that run that morning and haven't felt the same about running since. Something happened in my heart that day seeing those spillways and having God speak to my heart like He did. My heart left the physical race I was training for that day and became completely focused on my spiritual race. I have been completely consumed with a passionate pursuit of God. I mean consumed!!!! Nothing else is measuring up. I tried to keep running and training for my marathon, but my heart had left it. So last Thursday morning as I was on what was supposed to be an 18 mile run, I got to 15 and made the decision to lay it down. And I did it with a peace in my heart knowing that there would be other marathons later on in my life, but I wasn't going to pass up this invitation from the heart of God to find Him and discover Him like I've never known before.
Now, if you would've asked me 6 months ago would I ever do that, I would have firmly told you no way. I loved running too much. But guys, let me tell you, something happens when you get a glance of Jesus. When you catch HIS glance, you want nothing else. And that's where I am. All I want is to find Him in everything. And I look for Him everywhere I go.
Running isn't gone from my life for good. But I have laid it down for a time. I used to place it before God. I'm ashamed to say it was such an idol in my life. But it was. I put my runs before everything else in my life. I was so consumed at training for marathons and everything else that I held it high in my heart. And it took the place of Jesus. I got a new perspective at the beginning of this year and finally got my priorities straight. And I was able to enjoy my runs and keep Jesus on the throne of my heart! :-) But as my heart has been drawn more and more to Him in these last couple of months, a holy fire has been lit within my heart and it seems every moment I spend alone with Jesus He just continues to pour a holy gasoline on it and cause it become a raging wild fire within my spirit now. It is one that is consuming everything in its path too. I mean completely consuming.
But isn't that what He does? And what He wants to do in each of us? To set our hearts on fire with His Spirit coming alive within us, and burning away all that is of our flesh and not of Him? Oh, I believe with all my heart it is what God longs to do in each of us. I think we just keep our hearts wet with cares of this world and it hinders that fire being ignited within us. That's where I was for a good while. But when we let those things dry up and we allow Him to ignite within us, there is no telling what all He will do within us. And when He sets us on fire spiritually, it becomes a raging, out of control wildfire within our hearts that forever changes who we are. It isn't a fire to be afraid of. It is a fire to long for. It is a fire to seek after with all your heart. Oh that His church would be ignited with that fire....think what we could do in this world.
He is calling each of us to run. Not physcially, but spiritually. He calls us to come up higher. To run after Him. To leave the world behind and to run after Him. To throw caution to the wind and give it our all to go after His heart with everything within us. We will find our joy in this pursuit. We will find that things that used to be so important to us really don't matter in view of finding Him. We pretty much become ruined for this world after we've had a taste of Him. And don't you think thats what He wants to do in all of us? To give us a taste of Him, so that our appetites are ruined for the things of this world?
Jeremiah 29:13 gives us this promise...."You will seek Me and find Me, when you seek Me with ALL of your heart." He promises us that we WILL find Him when we seek Him with all of our hearts.
So, yeah, I'm still running. But it's a different run right now. It's a run that's going after the heart of God with everything inside of me. I want my life consumed with Him. I want His fire to burn away everything that's of my flesh and of this world that is inside of me.
Don't just run. But run with a purpose in your life. Run after what really matters. Run after Him.
Run hard....
Stacy
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