Thursday, November 08, 2007
Gorgeous Morning
It is a gorgeous morning here! I know I am weird and in the minority here, but I love getting up early and running in the cold. It is invigorating for me physically and helps clear my head. This morning it was very brisk and chilly; I saw the first frost on the ground and on the rooftops of all the houses I pass on my jog. The usual people I see out at this time of morning were no where to be found...I guess it was a bit chilly for them. I just layer and layer and wear warm ear muffs...plus my pants are special warm running pants. Somehow, I am not cold! : ) I love this time of year, now that the time has changed...the mornings are bright...where a week ago, it was still dark at 6:30am....I don't really enjoy running while the street lights are still on.
There is a hill...I've mentioned it before. It is a long steep hill (probably about 3/4 of a mile). It is challenging to walk or run...and most days I make myself run it. Sometimes I slow down and just power walk it...(cause I like my heart rate to stay up). I have learned from my friend, Terri, to take any challenging hills and use this as a time to pray for other who might be struggling...so while I am breathing hard and struggling to get up the hill, I pray for those who might be struggling in a different way. Terri calls her hill a Trail of Tears...so I have copied her idea and do the same. This is a time with the Lord that is very sweet. Thanks, Terri, for encouraging me to make that time with the Lord to be a time to pray for others.
As I look around at His beautiful creation during my jogs, I know in my heart that only a perfect, Holy, all powerful, and perfectly just God could create from nothing all that I see. I praise Him at this time for all the blessings I do not deserve...and for my future in Him. I can get insecure at times...thinking my faith is not strong enough to deserve heaven or His hand of mercy, but I know my trust is in Him...even if it is small faith. My faith is in Him and His beautiful work on the cross on our behalf. I can never earn His grace or do anything to cause Him to favor me...it is only by His grace, mercy, and lovingkindness (I love that word) that any of us can be favored by God...His choosing us through His Son's sinless life and undeserving death that makes us right before Him. If at any time, I feel I have deserved God's favor, I am full of pride.
Do you fear the Lord? So much that you are sure to confess your sin to Him daily? When I pray, I often ask God to reveal to my heart my sin...so that my prayers will not be hindered. Sometimes, I forget to do this and I was reminded last night that this is an abomination to the Lord...to pray while harboring sin. That makes me want to change my prayers greatly. I want to have that fear in my heart of a Holy God that does love us and shower us with blessings, but also a God who is to be feared. This causes me to want to live rightly before Him...not thinking it will produce favor, but because I know that He wants me not to sin and to come before Him with a pure heart...that can only be done through faith in Christ.
Thankfully, God's mercies are new every morning.
I am a stay at home mother to 4. I am very blessed to have a godly husband who loves the Lord and his family. I welcome the days of much needed grace,the times of sweet victories,and the tears of trials,knowing it is all for God's glory. I want my lifesong to sing to Him,the author and finisher of my faith. Soli Deo Gloria--To the Glory of God alone.
13 Comments:
There is so much in this post, Kim. Wow. I love the idea of praying on the hill. Awesome reminder to pray for those who struggle in life.
I love to run in the cold! Another trait we have in common :)
I got some wonderful pants from Dick's last year that are thin (like tights) and made from Under Armour. They kept me warm in temperatures that were in the teens! I also wore a longish fleece top and with my head and hands covered I was all set! By the end of my run I was always peeling off the gloves and hat :)
That time of the day is so incredibly beautiful and I love being alone during those runs. Thoughts of my day always led me to prayer and you are so right about our hearts. That is where we must always begin!
I love running in the cold too, but nothing below zero. :)
I do that same thing, praying for others while I run. Praying for others helped get me through the recent 26.
There are a lot of things to think about in this post, Kim. Thanks for taking the time to exhort and encourage.
Thanks for the idea to pray for those who are facing trials during the hard part of my run. I like that! I like to run in the morning and I like the cold, but I can't really say I like running when it is as cold as it has been in the mornings here lately...20's brrrrr! My days of running are numbered (we get a layer of ice/snow on our road that stayes all winter and makes it impossible to run) but I am looking forward to snowshoeing! :)
I too love to run, however, here in MN the sun doesn't come up until 7:40ish am....and then it set's by 4:30ish..pm.
I'm going through joggin' withdrawal!! lol :-)
This was a beautiful post full of lots of truths to ponder.
Thanks for sharing.
Blessings,
Julie
That really was a great post, Kim. I have many of those same emotions/fears.
What a wonderful post Kim. I take for granted the priviledge of prayer and this had some great reminders that I am coming into the presence of a loving, yes, but a Holy God who is to be reverently fearted. Blessings-Heather
I too am thankful His mercies are new every morning--great is His faithfulness!
I love cold crisp runs as well! Wow, I LOVE that suggestion of praying for those who are struggling when going up hills. So many times I find myself just praying I make it up the hill (there are three long hills on my run) when I could be totally focused on someone else. Thank you for sharing this. It has really hit my heart.
I, too, see his creation every time I run. I often find myself shedding a tear (or more!). His love and mercy abound.
Amen! I'm also so very thankful that God's mercies are new every morning. I love that you emphasized confession. In a recent Beth Moore video I saw, she encouraged us to have that confession time at the very beginning of our prayer time. I have really been trying to do this, and it makes so much sense.
Oh Kim, I am delighted to hear that you have taken up praying while on your morning runs. I do my best praying on the trails and then come back home renewed both physically and spiritually!
I always say REAL runners run in the winter too =)
Keep pressing on sister!
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