Miracles Come in All Sizes

I have always believed in God.  I have often felt the presence of God in my life.  Sometimes it is easier to recognize God’s presence than others.  Obviously, on the days my children were born, I felt God’s presence in my life intensely.  I could also feel the same unmistakable presence as I was coming up out of the water in Panbowl Lake on the day that I was baptized.  Other times, that presence has been more subtle but no less reassuring.  But last Friday night, I had an experience that I had never had before.  Not only did I feel the presence of God, I felt the physical touch of God.  Some of you may dismiss what I am about to tell you and that is fine; you have the right to do so.  But I know what I felt and the only way I can explain it is the Holy Spirit lifted me up and kept me running.
                                                                                            
Last Friday evening, I ran my third 5K.  It didn’t start until 9:30 that night so I was curious to see how my body would respond to running so late after working all day then spending several hours at home.  Normally, I do my running on the treadmill as soon as I get home from work.  If I run on Saturdays, I usually run as soon as I get up in the morning.  Knowing my routine, I was pretty sure this race was going to present a challenge for me and I was not wrong.

I started the race at a good pace and was feeling really good about the way things were going.  More people had signed up for the race than I had anticipated but I knew I was not competing against them because I had my own goals already established.  As usual, I didn’t want to finish last and I wanted to be able to run the entire race without walking.  The biggest goal for me, though, was to finish the race in less than 40:00 minutes, which meant I would need to cut off nearly 1:20 from my previous 5K in June.

The course was three laps and after running the first lap, I was feeling really good about things.  I glanced at the timer at the start/finish line and could tell that my time was under 13:00 for the first lap.  The second lap was becoming more of a struggle and I could feel my legs starting to get tired about halfway through the lap.  I muttered a prayer asking God to keep me going as long as he possibly could.  I really didn’t want to have to walk  but my legs were beginning to feel a little rubbery.  The clock was just under 26:00 as I started my third lap.

My struggle intensified and I knew that it would take a miracle to complete the race without walking.  And that is exactly what happened.  About 1/3 of the way through the final lap, my legs sent a message to my brain that they were done.  Finished.  Not able to run another step.  I could feel my legs going from a trot to a walk and there was nothing I could do about it.  But God could.  I was trying to prepare myself to mentally finish the rest of the race despite taking a few seconds to walk when I felt something wash over the lower part of my body.  For three steps, it was as if I were walking on air.  I literally did not feel the ground for three steps.  I wasn’t numb because I could feel a presence touching my legs and then I started to run a little faster.   I was renewed and was able to finish the race strongly with a time of 39:23.  If I had slowed down and walked like my body had wanted to, I would not have reached my goal of finishing in under 40:00.

Now, by calling this a miracle I am in no way comparing it to Jesus turning the water into wine or to feeding the masses with just a few fish and a few loaves of bread.  I am certainly not comparing it to healing the blind, raising people from the dead, casting out demons, or conquering death and washing away our sins.  But in my opinion, it definitely qualified as a small miracle.  Matthew 21:22 tells us, "And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith."  I prayed and I received.  Acts 1:8 says, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witness...to the end of the world".  I can attest to feeling the power so now I am fulfilling my obligation to witness. 

Like I said earlier, I had felt the presence of the Holy Spirit many times, but actually feeling the touch of the Spirit is indescribable.  I know it was just a little 5K in Ashland, KY on a Friday night but God saw fit to let me know that he was with me that night and that he has been with me since I started this journey 10 months ago.  In October, I was facing the most daunting challenge I had ever been faced with.  It was literally a matter of life and death.  I chose to fight for life and God has been with me every step of the way and for that I am eternally thankful.  I could try to find the proper words to express my gratitude but Psalm 28:7 sums it up best: "The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him."  Until next time, keep the faith good people.  I know I certainly will. 

The Road Runner

It has been a few of months since I have updated my health situation and for that I am sorry.  That being said, the last few months have been phenomenal.  Since I last updated everyone in late March, I have lost another 40 pounds bringing my weight loss total over the past eight months to 103, surpassing the number the doctor suggested I lose.  I hope to be able to lose another 47 over the next four months.  I already am at my lowest weight in the past fifteen years and hope to get back to my early high school weight by the end of October. 

I returned to the doctor near the end of April and received great news.  The doctor was ecstatic over how well I was doing and how much weight I had lost.  She officially took me off of my diabetes medication because I had my sugar right where it needed to be.  Also, my liver functions were perfect.  I can't even begin to tell you how good that made me feel to hear those things.  But one of the coolest things she told me was that she could tell that I had been exercising because I now had the heart rate of a runner.  My check-up went so well that she told me not to come back for six months instead of the normal three.

Perhaps the coolest thing that has happened over the past three months is what I was able to do on May 4 and June 8.  These are the dates that I ran my first 5Ks.  I was pretty nervous about the first one.  It was the first time I ever ran outdoors.  I had done all my running on the treadmill so I had no idea of what to expect that morning.  I made a huge mistake in the first quarter mile and was not able to recover until almost halfway through the course.  The run started off with a small hill and I hit it at a dead run and by the time I came down the hill on the other side and made the turn onto the main road, I was gassed.  It took me probably 15 minutes after that to find my rhythm.  I finished the race with a time of 42:35 and to be honest, I was greatly disappointed.  I was hoping for something in the range of 38:00.  But my wonderful wife, Kristy, reminded me that what I had done was still a major accomplishment.  I had done something I had never been able to do in my life and that was something to be proud of.  So after sulking for  a few minutes, I was able to get my mind right and appreciate my accomplishment.

I took advantage of the five weeks between the two races to change my training methods.  I had intentions of doing more outdoor running but a busy schedule and weather did not allow that to happen so I had to do all of my training on the treadmill again.  The two things I tried to work on over this time was more elevation and not holding onto the handrails of the machine.  In the end, I think modifying my strategy paid dividends.  I began the race on June 8 with a much better pace and was able to run the entire race without stopping a single time to walk.  Granted, most of the running was the "lineman's shuffle" but it was still running and I finished the race in 41:19.  Again, I was disappointed with my results but after a minute of sulking, I received a gentle reminder from the Almighty that he was with me and that I had achieved something fantastic.  To say the least it was a calming experience and one that I really needed. 

As always, I know where to go to give thanks for the miracle that is happening in my life.  I would be nothing without Jesus in my life and even though there have been times I have neglected Him, I plan on giving Him the proper praise from now on.  Isaiah 40:31 tells us, "but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."  That is exactly the way I felt on Saturday, June 8.  I had placed my hope in the Lord, I ran a complete race like I was on the wings of eagles, and I did not grow weary.  Until next time, I hope you all keep the faith and God bless!