Be deligent

Saturday morning I woke up with high hopes of running once again.  I purchased a brand new pair of tennis shoes and they are the brightest, most neon color of green you can imagine...and I love them!  I have missed running.   I figured I would rest from my ankle injury and my fall just prior to running the half marathon.

I rested long enough and I was antsy.  I woke up, put on an ankle support and my bright shoes and ran.  Unfortunately I only went a quarter of a mile.  I was bummed!  This morning I woke up again with the desire to run and I promised myself I would not go far....one mile, just so that I would know I still can. 

I headed out the door and did better than yesterday-I got to half a mile.  Feeling good I continued.  When I hit the one mile point I went for two!  My ankle felt good, there was no pain and I went for it.  What I did realize however was that for the entire two miles, my eyes rarely left the pavement.  I was deligent about looking for "hazards."

I dodged every little limb, pine cone,  rock, lip in the sidewalk, dips, curves, and drops.  I was deligent about keeping the course.  At one point I came upon a bridge made of boards with gaps and I had to make sure I stepped just right. 

"Watch it, there's one, jump it, skip it,"  all words of caution to myself.  You see if any of those got in my way, I could take a major fall like I did last October.  I survived one, don't know that I could survive another. 

It made me realize that I should be so deligent in my Christian walk.  If I dodged obstacles that get in my way, I would be much better off.  If I remained deligent in using caution, I would stand a much better chance of not falling.  Oh if I used the same precision to avoid hazards! 

As a Christian, I am not always going to have an easy life, I'm not always gonna have success, and I'm not always going to be the best but I am going to be secure.  I may lose friends along the way, I may be challenged, I may be questioned but I will be deligent in running the race God has laid out for me and when that race is over, I will know that God has my reward prepared for me.  Do not lose your focus....be deligent!

I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.  Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge will award to me on that day.

  2 Timothy 4:7-8