Recently loads of people, including myself, have gone exercise mad for some reason. I've taken to jogging and so far I've been on two (yes I still count that as exercise mad). To my surprise I have found jogging really quite hard. It's not because I have have stitch, or my legs are hurting or anything like that- I find it hard because it's so mentally challenging!
On my run today I couldn't help but think about my relationship with God being like a race. Hebrews 12:1 says 'let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.' My relationship with God is a 'race for life', and it definitely isn't a 100m sprint, it's a long and hard cross country race! I have learnt there are certain do's and don't which really help my literal running and my 'race for life'...
Firstly, don't stop! Ever find that when you're on a jog and have to stop at a traffic light or something you remember how nice it feels to be stood still but then when you start running again it takes a while to get back into the rhythm? It's the same with Christianity. Jesus never said that once you give your life to him, it will suddenly be all rosey, in fact for some people it's harder. The Christian life needs endurance. But we have the Holy Spirit to help us. Like energy, the Holy Spirit is always in us, keeping us going and giving us those sudden bursts of encouragement, comfort, wisdom etc etc.
Secondly, I have found it helpful to not think about my body when I'm running. If I think about how to improve my running technique or anything I become aware of how tired and rubbish I feel. God doesn't want us to try and improve ourselves. To jog, all you need is a route and a body that works: In life, God has provided you with all that you need and your race has been 'marked out for you', you just need to run it.
Thirdly, keep your mind off temptations. When I run I sometimes make the mistake of thinking about how nice it would be to have a glass of water or have a lie down or something. Temptations make the run harder, not easier. In the same way, in life when we give in to temptation, no wonder the race gets harder! The new appealing things, whatever they may be, replace the need for God and we forget why we're running in the first place.
I look proper gross when I run, I go ridiculously red and sweaty. Sometimes the 'race for life' is like that too. You give up the race to become the most successful or the coolest, or the most popular person because you're running a better race.
And why run the 'race for life' instead? Well, because when I finish the 'race for life', I won't arrive at my boring, empty house with no reward. I will arrive to my home in heaven and my God will say to me, 'Welldone, my good and faithful servant!'
Tuesday 1 March 2011
Monday 21 February 2011
Seasons
Spring is my favourite month of the year, because just when we've had enough of living in the darkness and cold of winter, we finally see and feel the sun again! I love being able to go outside without wearing a gazzilion layers; seeing the world have colour again instead of just grey; walking to and from school whilst it's still light! It's weird but after a while, we get bored and can't wait for it to be the next season. It's near the end of Spring, and I so badly want it to be Summer, then near the end of Summer I'm sick of having hay-fever and can't wait for Autumn then near the end of Autumn I can't wait for snow and Christmas and everything in Winter!
I think a lot of people think if you become a Christian that's it, you wear that label, you believe in God, you go to church, done. But in fact, life as a Christian is a journey which has 'seasons'...
Spring: Times of blossoming and seeing new life. We feel alive with God, able, excited, ready for the challenges of the next seasons.
Summer: Times of spiritual dryness. We feel far from God. It's a time to trust God and spend time seeking him, waiting for his flood.
Autumn: Times of ripeness and colour. He has a perfect plan and we begin to see the fruits of His work.
Winter: Hard times. We feel alone, worried and in the dark. These are times to remember God's promises until He bursts through like the sun.
The good news is that God Himself isn't changing in each 'season' of life. He stays exactly the same- He's still as close and loves us just as much. It is us who is changing. And it's because God doesn't want us to stay the same. He works in us in every seasons to grow us, teach us, and most importantly, to draw us closer to Him
I think a lot of people think if you become a Christian that's it, you wear that label, you believe in God, you go to church, done. But in fact, life as a Christian is a journey which has 'seasons'...
Spring: Times of blossoming and seeing new life. We feel alive with God, able, excited, ready for the challenges of the next seasons.
Summer: Times of spiritual dryness. We feel far from God. It's a time to trust God and spend time seeking him, waiting for his flood.
Autumn: Times of ripeness and colour. He has a perfect plan and we begin to see the fruits of His work.
Winter: Hard times. We feel alone, worried and in the dark. These are times to remember God's promises until He bursts through like the sun.
The good news is that God Himself isn't changing in each 'season' of life. He stays exactly the same- He's still as close and loves us just as much. It is us who is changing. And it's because God doesn't want us to stay the same. He works in us in every seasons to grow us, teach us, and most importantly, to draw us closer to Him
Wednesday 19 January 2011
Waiting for a better time?
It's January and for many teenagers and students, it's the second worst time of year apart from June. Why? Examssss! Let's be honest we all hate them. We hate them because revision is so boring; we are left with a constant fear that lingers in us, the list goes on... But above all else, the biggest hatred for exams is to do with time.
We are constantly waiting for exams to be over. Ever find yourself making a list of all the fun things you're going to do after exams finish? We say to ourselves, I will enjoy life more when exams are over, or I will become a better person when exams are over. For me I've said to myself I will start eating healthily after exams because it's not humanly possible to revise without chocolate!
Often people have this same attitude to God as they do to the exam period. I was talking to my school Chaplain a few months ago and she said to me something along the lines of, 'For most people with a Christian upbringing, they wait until they're adults until they make any real commitment of faith for themselves'. At the time I nodded my head and accepted that. Looking back I'm thinking that really shouldn't be something that's just accepted.
The bible says 'It is time to seek the Lord' i.e. right now. Having God in your life isn't something which should be left on hold until you're an adult, a bit like waiting for exams to be over. Before you know it, you've waited until teenage life is over.. then until adulthood is over.. then until life is over. For me, being a Christian is not like exams where you are waiting for something better, a life with more meaning. All that is not something to wait for, but something to be found, in Jesus.
We are constantly waiting for exams to be over. Ever find yourself making a list of all the fun things you're going to do after exams finish? We say to ourselves, I will enjoy life more when exams are over, or I will become a better person when exams are over. For me I've said to myself I will start eating healthily after exams because it's not humanly possible to revise without chocolate!
Often people have this same attitude to God as they do to the exam period. I was talking to my school Chaplain a few months ago and she said to me something along the lines of, 'For most people with a Christian upbringing, they wait until they're adults until they make any real commitment of faith for themselves'. At the time I nodded my head and accepted that. Looking back I'm thinking that really shouldn't be something that's just accepted.
The bible says 'It is time to seek the Lord' i.e. right now. Having God in your life isn't something which should be left on hold until you're an adult, a bit like waiting for exams to be over. Before you know it, you've waited until teenage life is over.. then until adulthood is over.. then until life is over. For me, being a Christian is not like exams where you are waiting for something better, a life with more meaning. All that is not something to wait for, but something to be found, in Jesus.
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