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. 

Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due

I am approaching the five month mark of living a healthier lifestyle.  I must admit that to this point, it has been remarkably easier than I anticipated.  I guess having your back to a wall has a way of doing that to you.  I am now down 63 pounds and have gotten on the treadmill four times a week for the past eight weeks.  As a matter of fact, I have gotten so used to doing the treadmill that I actually make plans around my exercise instead of making excuses to not do it.  I never thought I would see the day come when I would get cranky because I had not had my cardio for the day.  I guess investing in a treadmill last summer, even though it was barely used for several months, was worth the cost after all.

Over the course of the last month, people have really begun noticing the transformation that my body is undergoing.  I have had countless people make comments about my weight loss and several who continually ask me about my progress.  I have to confess, it feels amazing that people have noticed and are taking an interest in how I am doing.  Many have even offered words of encouragement and admiration for what I have been able to do thus far.  While I have spent most of my life trying to not really be noticed and keeping personal details personal, I have found that being open and discussing what I am going through to be cathartic and necessary to being successful in reaching my goals.  After all, if people are taking enough interest to notice how  I am changing my body, the least I can do is be open about things.

Perhaps the question that is most often asked of me nowadays is, "How are you doing it?" (One person asked me, "So, what's your secret?"  I resisted the urge to say, "Diabetes.  It's worked wonders for me.")  I always tell them that the answer is simple: I am eating more nutritiously and exercising regularly.  I know that doesn't sound flashy but it's true.  But after being asked that question again a few days ago, I began to think about how I had actually done it.  The answer I had been giving was true but, honestly, there is more to it than that.  When I say diet and exercise, I am leaving out the most important part: God.  If not for Him, none of this would be possible.  So, upon further reflection of how God has guided me through this time, I have pinpointed several keys to what has allowed me to be successful in restoring my body and rebuilding my relationship with God.

1)  Faith: This is where it all starts for me.  While I have always had faith in the Holy Trinity, I had gotten to a point in my life where I was relying more on myself than I was on the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  When you trust yourself more than the Trinity, that's when you get yourself in trouble.  After getting the dickens scared out of me in October, my eyes were quickly opened and I knew immediately where I needed to put my faith if I was going to be successful in changing my life.  Jesus tells us in Matthew 17:20, "I tell you the truth, if your faith is a big as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there', and it will move.  All things will be possible for you".  I needed to move a mountain, or (more aptly) remove  a mountain of weight from the frame of my body, and I knew I could not do it alone.  I chatted with God about getting that done and we have been in constant communication since.  If you are looking for a place to start, try renewing your faith in the King of Kings.

2) Attitude:  If you are to be successful in anything you do, you must have a positive attitude.  A colleague of mine often tells his students and players, "Whether you think you can or can't, you're right either way".  That makes a lot of sense to me.  If you expect to fail, you will.  If you expect to succeed, you will do that to.  So, I approach every day determined to be successful.  I don't just sit around waiting for things to happen; I make them happen.  Luke 12:35 tells us to "be dressed, ready for service and keep your lamps burning" and that is exactly how I have approached my situation.  I feel that God has plans for me and in order for those plans to be carried out I need to stay positive and keep the determination to follow God where He leads me. 

3) Desire: In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Harry encounters a unique mirror that lets him see his family who had been killed years earlier.  Harry continues to sneak around to get a peek at the mirror whenever possible.  Eventually Professor Dumbledore tells Harry about why everyone who looks into the mirror sees something different.  He tells Harry, "It shows us nothing more or less than the deepest, most desperate desire of our hearts."  After getting my wakeup call in the fall, I took a look into my own personal Mirror of Erised and saw that I wanted to be around for Kristy, Brayden, Laura-Rae, and Spencer for as long as I possibly could.  I want to celebrate milestone anniversaries and birthdays and get to know my grandchildren someday.  This was not going to be possible going down the road the I had been travelling.  So now I am travelling a much better road.  Psalm 37:4 says, "Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart's desires."  That sounds pretty good to me so that is what I intend to do. 

4) Ownership: I have taken ownership of the problem at hand because you can't resolve problems if you aren't willing to admit that you have them or admit your fault in having them.  I knew I had a genetic predisposition to be diabetic but I had taken that too lightly for too long.  No one to blame but myself.  1 Timothy 5:8 sums it up pretty well.  "But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever."  I don't want to be worse than an unbeliever but I do want to provide for my family so that means I must take ownership of the problem and takes steps to correct it and I have.  Going through life ignoring your problems and pretending they don't exist is not a solution, and to me it's not an option.  Own them, solve them, praise the Lord, and move on.  Simple as that. 

These keys have proven to be life changing for me and I would recommend anyone who is facing a similar issue follow them.  What do you have to lose?  Me, I had a lot to lose if I didn't change and I'll bet that you do too.  Recently, I read a book on desire by John Eldredge* and in it he says, "Life is not a problem to be solved; it is an adventure to be lived."  I reflected upon that statement and my life.  Too often when we face problems, we let them dominate our lives.  It's easy to do.  But what we really need to do is view them as bumps on the road of the journey we are on.  Sometimes we may have to take the long way around when we wanted to take the short cut, but the classic Robert Frost** poem puts that in perspective for us:

  "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."

*Desire: The Journey We Must Take to Find the Life God Offers by John Eldredge

**The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost