Today I was really hit hard by God. It wasn’t the greatest feeling in the world (the sword of conviction is painful), and mostly it made me want to scream, “Okay, God, I get it. Point made.” But it did make me appreciate an amazing God who has amazing love, kindness, and patience for pathetic sinners such as me. So, I thought I’d share. Here is the story:
For the last few months I have been training for a half marathon. All of the running and working out has become a constant in my life. If I miss a workout in the mornings I am usually disappointed and slightly antsy.
Today I was jogging along listening to my mp3 player when the Holy Spirit said, “do you put as much time and effort into studying God’s word as you do running?” Instantly, my response was, “but I listen to Christian music (sometimes) when I run. And I pray (sometimes) while I run.” To which the response I got was, “that’s not the same and you know it; it’s just a lousy justification.” I then put the conversation in the back of my mind, slightly ignoring it, and finished my run.
This evening at small group I was scanning for a passage in my Bible and happened to come across 1 Timothy 4:8 “For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.”
I just started laughing to myself. God just does not give up! I try to disregard him once, so He comes back for round two...so this time, instead of paying no attention, I decided to dwell on it for a moment (I don’t want to know what round three would entail)...
Am I training to be godly? What kind of person would I be if I spent as much time obsessing over God’s word as I did obsessing over my speed? I would then truly be a woman after God’s own heart. What if I spent as much time fulfilling God’s plan for my life as I do putting in mileage? Could I light the world on fire?
No, running in and of itself is not a bad thing. But, I need to be careful not to make it an idol and put it before God.
I am so thankful for a God whose perfect love does not depend on my faith being perfect.
Moral of the story: God doesn’t tell us what we want to hear, He tells us what we need to hear. Are you listening?
2 comments:
I really love and appreciate your post. I've been struggling with the same thing and some others. How blessed to have such a patient and forgiving Father!
You're amazing! Thanks for the reminder.
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