Don't run; walk.

It was 7 in the morning. I was lacing up my running shoes and going back and forth between which playlist I was going to listen to. I had an idea of how this run was going to go. In my mind, the 30 minutes would fly by and I would feel really accomplished while continuing to slay everything else I had planned for the day. Well, my mind was wrong! Let me let you in on a little secret… I haven’t gone a run since the beginning of the summer. My stamina was way down and my shin splints didn’t appreciate the sudden pounding into the concrete. I had been stagnant for so long, and still had the expectations of jumping right in and being where I left off; that didn’t happen.
 As I walked towards my house, this older woman ran past me. I started with the self hate… “Wow, someone who could be my mother is running faster, further and longer than me! That’s just great!” Then, the more realistic and kind voice stirred up in my mind… “She didn’t just wake up with those killer abs and never ending stamina! One day she had to decide to walk too!” So I thought, “ten minutes is better than zero and walking is better than sitting!” And so, it is the same with faith!
 How often do we avoid God and then months later we decide to talk to Him again; expecting the skies to part, a bush to catch fire, or a deep voice to call out our name? Those expectations are (typically) not met and we are left discouraged. That discouragement leaves us with the horrible thought that “God doesn’t want to talk to me anyway!” Then we start to compare our lacking faith to the faith of a person who has been walking for a longer, more consistent time. All of this sets us up for more discouragement and failure. NONE of it is true!
 

God doesn’t expect much from us, but He does expect us to go on walks with Him. He longs for our presence every day. Just as we desire Him… He desires us! God has so much that He wants to share with us. He wants to be our best friend, our advisor, and our Father! He wants to go on long walks with us and talk about our day, how we did in school, how our friends and family are treating us, the things that made us laugh till we cried, and the things that hurt our hearts.
 So, when you get back from summer break and decide to jump back into your prayer life… don’t run; walk. Make yourself available to Him every day. Give Him room to share His love with you. Talk about the silly things and talk about the serious things. Soak in the peaceful walks you take… because the stronger you get, the more He will ask you to run!
 “For prayer is nothing else than being on terms of friendship with God.” –St. Teresa of Avila