Okay, God, Let's Go for a Run

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I knew I would be on my own today for my Saturday run because "J" had to work, and I don't feel like it's worth "K's" time to drive to meet me (even though I know she would). I planned to go for seven miles. I told no one except my husband, in case he worried why I was gone for so long. Last night I checked the weather and saw the temperature was to be 52 degrees, a perfect morning for a run. I was lying in bed when I woke up before the alarm. My first thought is always "how much time do I have before my alarm goes off? Should I go to the bathroom or wait and go back to sleep?" I picked up my phone to see there were only seventeen minutes left before my alarm would wake me anyway. I thought, "Okay, God, let's go for a run!" 

I planned my run in two parts. Part one was a three-mile route that would lead me back to my house in case I needed a drink or wanted a snack. I did grab a banana and also took a potty break while I was there before heading out again. Part two was a four-mile route which ended up being four and a half, bringing me back home to finish. I ran part one entirely. Part two was broken up into a half-mile walk, followed by 60/30-minute run/walk intervals. I do want to experiment with different interval times, but this seemed to work well this morning. It was dark when I started and foggy when I finished. I was sweaty in town but chilly on the country roads. It was the farthest I had gone in quite some time, so I was curious to see how I'd do. I am pretty happy with how the morning went as well as with the outcome overall.

When I got home to make my social media post, I found this song by Tenth Avenue North, "Running with You in the Dark." The song starts out, "I don't know what I'm doing, I don't know where I'm going, I thought I'd have more figured out by now, but all the streetlamps on my road keep burning out." I don't know about you, but that's how I feel a lot of times. What should my next move be, God? Should I keep doing what I'm doing or focus my energy on this new thing over here? Is that prompting in my head coming from God or based on what I think is the right thing to do? The second verse says, "I don't know what You're doing, but I know we'll get through it. I thought I'd hear Your voice come thunder in. Instead, I'm waiting for a whisper in the wind." I wish an angel of God would appear visibly before me and say, "Do not be afraid...but do this." Audibly and undoubtedly like so many in the Bible experienced. Clearly, I would know my next move without doubt and, I would hope, without hesitation knowing it came as a direct command from heaven. 

I don't know why God doesn't reveal the big picture to us, but the bottom line is He is God and we are not. The chorus of this song goes, "Learning to trust, learning to trust You. Learning to trust, learning to trust You. Learning to trust, learning to trust Your heart while I'm running with You in the dark." I trust that God's heart is to "prosper [me] and not to harm [me], plans to give [me] hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) Because of this I can face each day with anticipation no matter what comes my way. "But I call to you for help, Lord; in the morning my prayer meets you." Psalms 88:13 (CSB) Before my feet hit the ground, I want my first thought to be just what it was this morning, "Okay, God, let's go for a run!" and allow Him to take control of the day. 

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