As I continue running, blogging, tweeting, ranting and raving, I greatly appreciate all support and encourage you to follow me (I hope to make the journey funny, encouraging, and adventurous) … at the following places on the web…
Thank you, and I look forward to following you, as well, into the New Year!! 🙂
Folks, I’ve decided to move my blog… You can find me at JenniOnTheRun.wordpress.com and you can also find me on Twitter @JenniOnTheRun – I greatly appreciate your support and hope you have a very merry Christmas! 🙂
I desperately needed this timely reminder in my inbox today…
Mom Talk
As I sat on the couch and put on my make-up, I thought to myself, “I’m just so tired.” Granted, it was only 5:30 in the morning and there was a chill in the air. I had every reason to want to crawl back into bed and cover up. But I knew it was more than that. In the silence of the morning – by the light of one little lamp – I could be honest with God and just say, “I’m tired.”
I began thinking about Samuel. Scripture says that Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life (1 Samuel 7:15.) This was the job that God had given to Samuel and he did it his whole life. That is such an important thing to realize. When you are a follower of Christ, you are committing to follow Him all the days of your life. It is a life-long commitment. When you are on such a journey, it’s no surprise that you’re going to get tired.
God knew that we would get tired. That the journey would be long. That the path would not always be easy. He promises to be our rest, but we must come to Him.
So, back to my morning. I finished my make-up, got dressed and began breakfast for the girls.
I suddenly remembered a conversation I had with my husband quite some time ago. He had mentioned that He would often get tired in the early afternoon and that he read somewhere that this could be caused by dehydration. So, I was just contemplating dehydration, my weariness and a possible need for more water in my life when I was reminded of this passage in Jeremiah.
For My people have committed a double evil: They have abandoned Me, the fountain of living water, and dug cisterns for themselves, cracked cisterns that can hold no water. – Jeremiah 2:13 HCSB
Our physical bodies were created with a need for water. Without water, we can become lethargic and fatigued. Without it for too long and we would die. For our spiritual lives to thrive, we need the living water. But, in order to receive the living water, we must come to Him. When we attempt to go about our lives without Him, we become tired and weary.
I love the imagery of God as a fountain and us as cracked cisterns. When we immerse ourselves in God and His Word, the water is constantly flowing over us. It refreshes us and gives us energy. The problem comes when we think that we are okay. We are feeling good in the moment and think we can step away and handle things on our own for a while. You see, we are just broken cisterns. So, the moment we walk away from God or abandon our time in the Word, the water begins to leak out through the cracks and, in no time at all, we’re dry. We become dehydrated and dehydration brings weariness.
O God, you are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you,
my body longs for you,
in a dry and weary land
where there is no water. – Psalm 63:1 NIV
This world is dry and there is no water apart from God.
Are you feeling weary? Maybe you’re just a little dehydrated.
Meet the author:
Stacy Edwards (@sjedwards) is a trucker’s daughter and a pastor’s wife. She is married to Michael Edwards, the Evangelism and Recreation Pastor at Living Hope. She is a freelance writer and a homeschooling mom to four little girls. Stacy blogs at Servant’s Life where she uses her words to point others to the hope and encouragement found in Christ. If you need her, she’s probably hiding in the bathroom.
Do you know a mom who needs encouragement? Why don’t you pass this on to her?
21 days into the 30 Burpees for 30 Days Challenge…
30 BURPEES.
EVERY.
SINGLE.
DAY.
FOR.
THIRTY.
DAYS.
And I’ve been back to running nearly every day.
And, I did yoga for the first time ever last night.
EVERY
MUSCLE
IN
MY
BUTT
IS
K. I. L. L. I. N. G
ME!
Well, really, EVERYTHING hurts.
That’s what happens when you go from wimpy girl who can barely peel herself off the ground to full-on She-Ra Beast Mode – it should never get easier, because you should always be pushing past limits and reaching towards new goals!
I’m stronger than I’ve been in a couple of years, looking good, feeling fabulous (except when I don’t!), and able to hold baby girl for extended periods of time despite her growing bigger EVERY SECOND OF EVERY DAY (the whole reason I took on the burpee challenge)…. All after only THREE WEEKS!
Burpees are now, officially, my favorite total-body workout. Thank YOU, Spartan Race for the challenge!
Now maybe I’ll be able to run my first full marathon (Spring 2014) in less than a full day! 😉
Gave this little tidbit of advice to my niece and thought I’d share with you, too – whoever you may be. 🙂
Life is a marathon, not a hundred yard dash… Just keep your eye on the finish line through everything that comes your way. Sometimes people get in your path and you have to slow down, sometimes you hurt or are just tired and its all you can do to just plug along, sometimes there are hills along the way and its ALL. YOU. CAN. DO. to even put one foot in front of the other.
But you know what’s on the other side of that hill? The downhill slope – it’s all gravy on the downhill side, but you have to climb before you can fly! Keep pushing, keep plugging, keep your eye on that finish line and before you know it you will be soaring like an eagle!!
The unfolding saga of a life with horses... 