Feeling Rested in Him

Let's just call it how it is, I am behind in life right now. And I am not sure I will ever get ahead.

But 2 months ago I made a commitment to go on the senior high retreat to Bridgeport with the youth at my church. This was a particularly hard commitment to keep. Going this weekend meant I had to make several sacrifices: I knew I wouldn't get good sleep (which is something I crave on the weekend these days). I knew I would have to get up extra early to get in my 8 mile run. I knew I would have to have all homework done before I left and just hope I didn't forget anything. I knew that I wouldn't be able to eat right all weekend. And I knew I would be exhausted when I got back.

And I was right about every one of them. 

But I also knew that this was something I needed. I needed to get away and just be with God and His people in His creation. For 40 hours I went without an agenda or a to-do list. I worshiped, played, laughed, ate, talked, loved and just rested in Him. 

One of my biggest worries for the weekend was my 8 mile run. I talked about how worried I was for weeks ahead of time. But I completely relied on God to get me through all 8 miles of my run. And He did. And even better, when I got back to the cabin we were all staying in the boys formed a tunnel for me to run through. I am not sure there is a better way to finish a run. If I had stayed here, I would have still run 8 miles but I certainly wouldn't have had that kind of finish. God is good. 

If I had stayed here maybe I would have gotten a few more things checked off my to-do list. Maybe I wouldn't be so exhausted. But I also would have missed this...

. 

-Cynthia

It's going to be worth it

Six weeks. That's it. Six short weeks. And its scary. 

Six weeks from today I will be running my first half marathon.

I know so many people who have tried, and conquered, the half-marathon. And so the fact that is freaks me out makes me feel a little ridiculous. I mean, its not like I am trying to run the whole marathon. Just half. 

But this is something new and different for me. I have never been an athlete. I always wanted to be an athlete. But I am not the most athletic person. I played basketball in elementary school (and passed the ball as soon as I got it), I played volleyball in MS (and loved it, was pretty good, but didn't believe in myself enough to do it in HS) and I was on the swim team in HS (I was not competitive, but I tried). And it wasn't until I was out of college that I found running. And the great thing about running is you are just trying to beat yourself. And nobody really cares where you finish, as long as you finish. And that is why I get up and run. To take it one step at a time until I reach my goal of 13.1 miles. 

And so far things are going well. But I have trained to 7 miles before. I know I can do 7 miles, on a Saturday morning, alone. That much I know. 

What I do not know is if I can run 8 miles in the hills of Bridgeport. Or 9 miles around White Rock Lake. Or 10 miles around Celebration Park. Or 13.1 around the sheets of Dallas. And its the unknown that scares me. 

And it is just going to get harder from here. I am tired. All the time. And it might not be all due to the fact that I am running 20 miles a week, but that is definitely a factor. 

 Long runs have been good, its the miles in between that get harder and harder to do. 4.5 miles on Monday mornings aren't easy. The 3 miles on Tuesdays ALWAYS feels like at least 6. And the 4.5 miles on Wednesdays are torture. 

I saw this quote on Friday and I immediatly thought about my half-marathon adeventure..."i'm not telling you it's going to be easy, i'm telling you its going to be worth it."

With this quote in the back of my head, I will continue doing what I am doing. And perhaps six weeks from today I will have completed my first half-marathon. And EVERYONE will be invited to the celebration afterwords because it's going to be worth it. 

Life, lately...

I like twitter because I can follow whomever I want. Some people I choose to follow are funny, some are informational, some are inspirational, and some I follow to remind me how to live my life.

A few weeks ago I opened twitter on a random Tuesday and the Christian singing duo Shane and Shane had tweeted this…worship is far more than the songs we sing. Make sure you worship on Tuesday just like you worship on Sunday.

Life has been difficult lately…

• I keep adding miles to my weekly running schedule and I am beginning to feeling it in my everyday life.

• Graduate school is back and in full swing. Assignments are due, readings need to be done, and driving to Denton on Thursday nights is hard.

• Teaching is never an easy job. But these days it seems to be a lot harder than usual.

• I feel like Cheerleading has taken over my life.

• It’s hard to do everything I have committed to.

But please don’t misunderstand this post. I am not telling you my life is horrible, it’s just hard sometimes, (isn’t everybody’s?) and I don’t want you to feel bad for me. I know I am blessed in so many ways…

• I can get up and run whenever I want.

• I can afford to go to graduate school.

• I have a job that I love.

• I have an opportunity to work with a small group of students on a different level.

• Everything I have committed to is worth showing up for.

But sometimes I forget that everyday I should be in worship to Jesus. I should be trying to be like Him in everything I do. Even when I am exhausted from running. Even when I am sitting in traffic, class or at home doing homework. Even when I am frustrated at work. Even when I am sitting at a basketball game. Even when I don’t really feel like worshiping.

And I always come back to… worship is far more than the songs we sing. Make sure you worship on Tuesday just like you worship on Sunday. Thanks ShaneandShane, and twitter, for the good reminder of how to live my life.

-Cynthia