Runner's High

Recently as I've been trying to up my amount of exercising in anticipation - maybe preparation is a better word - for this mud run on Sat. I've had a lot of thoughts about God and exercise and action and sacrifice. Some of it has been jumbled and some of it has not been, so here's an attempt to put it a few thoughts together. The college group and young prof. group at church have been going through James recently and it's been very challenging. I've been thinking about this stuff off and on all summer.
I am not a runner at heart. I don't enjoy it. Last night as I ran the longest maybe that I've ever run at one time, I kept wondering, "At what point does the runner's high come?" At one point I thought I was experiencing the high, but then I realized it was just that I was running downhill after going up a super steep one. Maybe, I thought, if I could experience that high, I would be more motivated to run further more often. Then as I was slamming my lead-weight feet on the road and gasping for breath, it came to me that even though I don't have a good feeling towards running, that doesn't change the reality that running is good for my heart - both physical and emotional. In fact, the more I thought about, it in between thoughts of "What am I doing?!? I hate this! Why did I agree to do that mud run?", I thought about how exercise has the potential to be an incredible expression of submission to God. It is more than a symbol, though. The act of running for me and pushing myself past what my nature desires is submission to and dependence on God's power. Then I thought about how running is submission, but how that act is also representative of the kind of action that God calls me to in other areas of my life. Sometimes, probably most times, submission and obediance to God and what he plans for me will be the most painful, illogical, emotionally difficult courses I will ever have to say yes to. The guy leading the study on James made the point that God is more than willing to give us wisdom when we ask, but that we need to be sure that we are not double-minded and unwilling to go through and receive the wisdom that God may be ready to give us. He also said, "God does not mold our character without our consent." I'm still thinking about that one, but I really think it is line with what James teaches. Our participation in the molding of our character by God is where asking and action and perseverance come into play.
All of this is to say that submission and sacrifice by definition are going to be easy to practice, but God is faithful. And it probably isn't what would be classified as "runner's high", but I was feeling pretty good and rewarded when I finished running for 39 long minutes.
James 4:7-10
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

Hello mountains!

TGIF!!! Due to "training" for this mud run in CO, I'm not having Dr. Pepper today to celebrate the weekend, but next Saturday it will be time to do it up big.
I met my new MFT supervisor today and he signed the needed paperwork, so Lord willing I will be able to submit all of the licensure stuff by early next week.
On the housing front, I think my new roommate and I have found a townhouse. I really like it and it's only a 6 month lease, although hopefully it will work out great and I won't have to make another move that soon. Speaking of the new roommate, I'm going to eat dinner with her and her family at her parents' house tonight. I think steak is on the menu. Yummmm.
One week from today David and I should be getting close to Red Mountain. We're planning to leave early Fri. morning. When is everyone else getting there? Can't wait to see all of you!!

Living the life

I counted this morning and I've been in Tulsa 5 weeks. Time flies when you're having fun and when you're out of town (WV and TX) for a couple of weeks out of that. But really, I like it pretty well here. I'm in the middle of finding a place to live. I'm going to have a roomate who's a college student here in town. A couple of girls at church suggested that we live together and it will be very nice financially.
I'm working as the receptionist at the Christian Counseling Center right now till August sometime I think when the regular receptionist comes back from maternity leave. Hopefully right around that time I'll be able to start doing therapy, but it will depend on the status of my licensure application. Status right now - Not submitted yet. There has been one little delay after another, so looks like by the end of next week I'll get everyone to sign who needs to. I'm looking at picking up another job for awhile and creating a some cushion for myself. Dave Ramsey recommends it. :)
Random thought of the day - concerning difficulties, pain, suffering, etc., I've been thinking along the themes of these two verses recently:
2 Corinthians 1:9: Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.
James 1:2-4: Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverence. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Limits

Everytime I read what he's written it's so challenging! Pulled out of context a little, but to see the full context, go to his blog. I've taken some of what he's written because if you're like me, you often don't click on the links people put on their blogs. If you do, go read the rest of this on his blog - Restlessness: Not Acknowleding Our Limits Can Keep Us From Focusing On Anything Permanent

Here's what Rhett Smith says:

When Our Desires Come Into Conflict With Our LimitationsThis is where the rubber meets the road. Each one of us has lots of things we want to do with our lives. There are lots of things we want to accomplish each day…but those desires, and our passions can often hit limits. Last year I wrote a post, Limits and Potential: Living Free Within That Tension, which was a reflection on this issue as formulated by Parker Palmer in the book, Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation. Palmer puts it this way:

“Everything in the universe has a nature, which means limits as well as potentials, a truth well known by people who work daily with the things of the world. Making pottery, for example, involves more than telling the clay what to become. The clay presses back on the potter’s hands, telling her what it can and cannot do–and if she fails to listen, the outcome will be both frail and ungainly. Engineering involves more than telling materials what they must do. If the engineer does not honor the nature of the steel or the wood or the stone, his failure will go beyond aesthetics: the bridge or the building will collapse and put human life in peril.
The human self also has a nature, limits as well as potentials. If you seek vocation without understanding the material you are working with, what you build with your life will be ungainly and may well put lives in peril, your own and some of those around you. “Faking it” in the service of high values is no virtue and has nothing to do with vocation. It is an ignorant, sometimes arrogant, attempt to override one’s nature, and it will always fail.”

God has created us with many desires and passions for our lives, but the reality is, is that on this side of heaven, many of them will not come to fruition. That feeling can leave us in a constant state of restlessness, unable to truly commit to anything permanent, therefore, leaving us constantly in a state of not acknowledging our limits, and with an inability to focus on anything for a long period of time.

To go or not to go?

I don't follow people too much on blogs, except for family, but this guy has outstanding stuff to say. I might be a little biased since he's an MFT, but I like it because he combines Christianity and marriage and family therapy excellently. This recent post on when to seek marriage counseling is good. Although trained in the field, since I'm not married myself, I like to refer to the "experts". A little extra credibility, I think. With some of them anyway. So check this blog out and it's okay to feel anxious at the thought of going to counseling. To me, like he says it's an opportunity for growth, and therefore even though it may be difficult, it's often a very enjoyable process ultimately. Why, why, why, especially as Christians would we not seek opportunities for growth? And you aren't alone. God is with you in the process.

http://rhettsmith.com/