Last night at 10:15 I decided that it was time for me to go on a 3 mile run. I was not able to ‘get my run in’ earlier in the day and it was still over 80 degrees outside. So while the eldest was finished up Algebra homework and the other two were reading themselves to sleep in bed off I went into the black night. (From a training perspective this was a big move for me – having to get the mileage in, as just a month ago I would have just grabbed a bowl of ice cream and plopped in front of the good old tele!”)
So off I went into the night down the street. It’s been a long time since I had run in the dark and it always seems that the darkness at 11pm is darker then the darkness at 6am. Not sure why, but it seemed a whole lot darker and more ominous then when I run in the mornings. Anyway, on with the story and away from boring not needed details like this sentence. I noticed that I really could not see the road in front of me, outside of the few times I crossed the path of a street light or a porch light. The rest of the time, I was just running in the general direction of the road towards the lights I could see in the distance.
It struck me how much this is like life. We spend so many parts of our life not really sure of the road we are on, not able to clearly see what lies right in front of us, but we continue pushing onward, towards the light, towards the hope that lies out there, trusting that the road will be there.
I have recently added a few Fireflight songs to my playlist and this reminds me of the lyrics of their song Unbreakable
Sometimes it’s hard to just keep going
But faith is moving without knowing
Can I trust what I can’t see to reach my destiny?
and later in the song
Forget the fear it’s just a crutch
That tries to hold you back
And turn your dreams to dust
All you need to do is just trust
Even as I approached my house I could see the faint outline of the porch light reflecting off my mailbox, but I could not make out the house, or bushes around it. I was hoping there was not a huge coyote or man eating night stalking creature in the shadows.
But that’s us. Pushing forward, trusting, moving with faith, uncertain of the road, but certain of the destination.
13May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 (New International Version)
Keep your focus today! Stay strong, and keep running!