GO THE DISTANCE; HE BLESSES OBEDIENCE
Last summer God told me to train for distance. I was running about 3 miles, and I was quite proud of my accomplishment. Three miles was a good enough work-out to not take too much time and keep me in shape. Then, God said, “Train for distance.” I kind of laughed. Just when I got to a comfortable place in my run, He increased the distance. I wasn’t surprised. I obediently started training for distance. Through the training God continued to speak to me about the importance of going the spiritual distance. He also told me that I would be expected to run the distance.
No longer would I just run hills that led to a plateau where I could rest. He told me that endurance running is much, much more difficult than merely running up hills. I’ve been running distance for six months now. I’ve gotten to a place where I can run five miles like I used to run 2-3 miles.
God is so cool because He always has multifaceted purposes for what He asks us to do. My daughter, Faith, is almost 16. She’s at that place in her life where she is trying to separate from me and figure out how she is different from me. This means, of course, that she doesn’t jump up and down to spend a lot of time with me. Sure, sometimes it hurts my feelings, but it’s a natural part of life. It’s part of a daughter growing up, and a mom learning to let go.
It’s hard on my heart which makes me run to God. The other night, I went upstairs to her room. My husband just bought her a new space heater. I was freezing and wanted to sit next to it for a while. Faith said I could sit by it. I sat down and began to warm up. I was tired and cold. It was 4:30 in the afternoon on a cold January day. Out of the blue she says, “I’m going running. Do you want to go?” I almost fell over. First of all, I couldn’t believe she was inviting me, and second of all I couldn’t believe she was asking me in a moment where running was the very last thing (other than clean bathrooms) that I wanted to do. I knew, however, that only a fool for a mom would tell her teenage daughter no.
“Sure!” I said. “How far are you going to run?” “Oh, probably just five miles since I’m just now getting back into it.” I almost laughed out loud. If I had not been training to go the distance for six months, it would not be possible to go running with her, but because God told me to train for distance, I would be able to spend five miles of time with my teenage daughter.
Sure, God has a kingdom agenda. He wants me to train in the physical so I can go the distance in the spiritual. He has much to teach me about endurance in the spiritual realm, and He uses physical running to really get His point across to me. Additionally, I consider this five mile moment with my daughter as a bonus blessing from God. He knew Faith would ask me to go running six months ago, and He knew I’d need to train in order to be able to do it.
Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
Matthew 6:8
God is so good.
Warrior Moms Unite!®
Kristina Seymour loves to encourage and equip women through the Word and through community. She is the author of The Warrior Mom Handbook, The Warrior Mom Leadership Manual, and The Warrior Wife Handbook; they are available at Amazon.com. Kristina's Bible studies are for women who desire to live by faith in the midst of their everyday lives. She has learned that women can't survive on caffeine and animal crackers alone; women in the Word and in community are united and able to stand firm. To learn more about Kristina, please visit her recently founded Share & Company Publishing House http://seymourkristina.wix.
Originally published Tuesday, 22 March 2016.
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